Pokemon: Liberation
by Nova Hind
Summary: The Pokemon world is immersed in war. Kantonian troops run rampant, occupying foreign nations and subjugating their people. In the midst of a burning world unlikely allies will come together to defeat a great tyranny and free their homelands from Kantonian dominance and along the way might they had more in common than they thought.
1. Prologue

**Hi guys! I'm new here to Fanfiction and I thought I would try my hand at writing a pokémon fanfic. This is my first attempt at a story including pokémon so don't kill me if it's horrible. I hope you guys like it. There are a few similarities to certain events in history included. See if you can spot them ;)**

 **Prologue**

The sun rose revealing a scene of desolation and utter destruction in what was once the vibrant city of Lumiose, capital of Kalos. The wreckage of smoldering buildings dotted the landscape and the air was choked with smoke. A silence like death hung over the burning city; all life seemed to have been extinguished. In the center of the city stood the once proud Lumiose Tower, a beacon of the cultural and spiritual pride of the Kalosian people, a shining light for the entire nation to look upon. Now it stood dark exuding the same lifeless spirit as the rest of the city.

From the wreckage of one of the little houses along the main street popped out the curious head of a young girl, her golden hair covered in soot and ash. From inside the satchel bag she was carrying popped out the head of her faithful dedenne, a pokémon her brother had caught for her to keep her company when he and their father were out on business.

'Come on dedenne I'm sure Clemont is around here somewhere' she whispered scanning the area for signs of life.

Dedenne bleated back a confident response which brought a smile to the girl's face. She searched around her house as well as the street looking for anything or anyone that could help her reunite with her brother but to no avail. Everyone had left as far as she could tell. It was almost impossible to see anyone with all the smoke and ash and she refused to yell out into the darkness lest she attract the wrong kind of attention. But despite her precarious situation she still managed to keep her spirits high.

'Don't worry, dedenne, he was to be around here somewhere' she said cheerfully. Dedenne heartily agreed, of course they were going to fine Clemont, after all, how hard could it be?

The pair had been searching for just under an hour, when without any apparent explanation the girl jumped behind the shattered remains of the one of the numerous cafes that Lumiose city was famous for. Dedenne popped its head out questioningly asking what was going on in its own language.

'Hush dedenne, I hear someone coming' she whispered seriously. Indeed a low rumbling sound like thunder could be heard in the distance growing louder with each passing minute. The girl looked up overhead in disbelief realizing that the source of the sound was not coming from the ground but from above.

Flying under the smoke was a squad of Kantonian Pidgeot arranged in perfect battle formation, their polished body armour glistening despite no sunlight being able to permeate the thick layer of smoke hanging over the city. Printed on the sides of their armor was the Kantonian insignia, a symbol that the Kalosians had come to know very well over the past month. The girl narrowed her eyes and puffed out her cheeks in anger. These were the people that had invaded her country and destroyed her home. In fact it was their last aerial attack that had left Lumiose city in such disarray. It was an event the little girl would never forget.

She remembered being at home when the first wave of Pidgeot went on the offensive. Her father had been an engineer in the army but had been captured after the Kantonians seized Aquacorde Town which meant she was home alone save for her older brother Clemont and dedenne of course. Unfortunately for her Clemont who was also in the armed forces was busy at Lumiose Tower organizing the defense of the city which meant she was left alone with only dedenne as company. When the Kantonians struck they struck with unrivaled precision and ferocity. She remembered watching in awe as the Kantonian offensive was met with stiff resistance from the Kalosian 8th Talonflame Brigade, their last hope to stop the Kantonians from fully occupying Kalos.

For a while a seemed that the Kalosians had the advantage; although the Kantonians' pokémon were stronger, their Talonflame were much faster and were able to weave their away through the battlefield without taking much damage. She remembered cheering for the captain leading the battle when he and his Talonflame struck down a particularly marauding Pidgeot and his master who were deliberately targeting civilians. For a little while it seemed that they could win the battle…. But it was not to last.

 _Now what was that captain's name? It's on the tip of my tongue, come on... oh that's right, his name was Falkner!_ She thought to herself, recalling the blue haired man atop the Talonflame.

As Bonnie had correctly recalled, Falkner was an aerial commander from Johto the first nation to have been invaded by Kanto. He had narrowly escaped the carnage that had befallen his country, vowing to return and liberate his homeland one day.

But what Bonnie couldn't quite remember was why he lost the battle. As far as she saw, the battle appeared to be in the Kalosians favour, in fact they hadn't lost a single man compared to the numerous losses the Kantonians were experiencing. She just couldn't quite get her head around it.

 _I wonder what happened up there…_

 ** _Flashback to earlier that day_**

Captain Falkner sat atop his loyal Talonflame, ready for battle. He had been training with this particular pokémon for months now after his original partner was struck down in the invasion of Johto. For this atrocity his heart burned for vengeance but if he was to succeed he knew he needed to keep a cool head.

Already, the Kantonians had managed to capture large areas of Kalosian land, their superior technology and better trained pokémon allowing them to rapidly secure important strategic positions around the country and now, after almost two months of continuous fighting from both sides they were nearing the capital which would surely secure their hegemony over the continent. Falkner was determined not to let that happen, at least not without a fight.

Talonflame as a pokémon did not quite understand the concept of war. The only thing it understood was obeying its master, but it has seen firsthand what the Kantonians had done to the forests its kind once lived in. It had fought on its own at first, regularly raiding the Kantonian camps scattered around occupied Kalos, but now it had a master who was as determined to reclaim his home as Talonflame was. Their shared desire to liberate their homes made them quick and efficient in battle, better than any other in fact. It was almost as if their minds were one. It was for this very reason that Falkner, despite being a foreigner was tasked with commanding this unit.

'Not long now my friend, we won't fail' whispered Falkner stroking the feathers of the proud fire bird beneath him. Talonflame nodded in agreement. No matter the cost, they would _not_ fail.

Behind him, all equally determined to protect their country were the remnants of the Kalos Aerial Force, now incorporated into the 8th Talonflame Brigade, the last remaining aerial defense unit of Kalos. All ground forces were in total retreat. The lucky ones had been killed in battle. Those who were captured were sent away to Kanto to face a process they liked to call: 'Re – education'.

Despite all efforts to hinder them, nothing seemed to be able to stop the Kantonians' expansion into Kalos. Now he and his band of survivors were the last line of defense between an independent Kalos and an occupied country.

These men all stared silently at Falkner who sat perfectly still in an almost meditative position, most likely formulating a plan of attack. They knew he was from Johto but still followed his instructions and paid him the same respect as they would with a Kalosian commander. Unlike the Kantonians who were narcissistically obsessed with themselves and their image as independent warriors, they didn't mind fighting alongside foreigners as long as the job got done.

'What do you think he's planning?' whispered a pilot to his buddy.

'I don't know but for all our sakes… I hope it's a good one'

Falkner was indeed deciding on their battle strategy, combing the archives of his mind for a plan that would achieve victory without too many casualties. His years in the sky had allowed him to compile vast amounts of knowledge on aerial warfare, now it was time to put that knowledge to good use.

After a few minutes of calm thinking he came up with a plan that would hopefully work. Now all he needed was the report from the scout he had sent off earlier to gather the final bits of information to be implemented in his plan and it would be perfect.

'Sir, scout incoming' reported one of the pilots' who had his telescope out.

He had deployed this particular scout to ascertain the Kantonians position before they struck. If they knew where the Kantonians were coming from, they would lose the element of surprise. The scout rushed towards Falkner saluting him before giving his report.

'Sir, there is an entire battalion of Pidgeot approaching from the South, I heard rumors that they may have been accompanied by a legion of Fearow but I'm afraid I don't have a confirmed sighting. I am quite sure that they are approximately ten minutes from our position' he recited flawlessly.

Falkner nodded in understanding, then turned away to decide how to implement this information into his plan. They were not outnumbered if it was only an attack from a single battalion of Pidgeot but they were far from evenly matched in terms of strength and technology. He knew that the Kantonians had developed a new kind of armor that was light enough to be mounted on flying pokémon without reducing their speed but strong enough to resist most attacks. He had seen it being used to deadly effect over the skies of Johto once before. Fortunately in addition this information he also knew that there was a weakness in their armor, one that he could exploit to take away that advantage.

 _'The links between the armor can only withstand certain temperatures, if I can apply enough heat to these regions than that armor will break… Talonflame's flame charge should exude enough heat to destroy those links. Not to mention that Talonflame would be able to strike fast and efficiently before withdrawing to avoid a counter attack'_ he thought simulating the scenario continuously in his mind, searching for even the slightest of flaws.

'Do you know who is leading the attack?' he suddenly asked the scout.

'I'm afraid not sir, although our intelligence reports confirm that Kiloude City has become the base of operations for the Kantonian High Command. I didn't see any general leading the attack but… I could have been mistaken sir… I'm sorry…' he remarked slightly ashamed at the fact that he could not provide a decent answer.

'Don't be sorry soldier, you have done good work' complimented Falkner putting his hand reassuringly on the scout's shoulder. The scout looked up and nodded in gratitude before re – joining the ranks.

Falkner carefully weighed his options, thoroughly considering even the minutest of details. It would have been extremely helpful if he knew who was leading the assault for then he could modify their strategy to the particular style of the attacking commander in question.

When the Kantonians invaded Johto, he had quickly learned that each General and Commanding Officer had their own unique style of attack which hardly ever changed. He realized that there both advantages and disadvantages to this method. If the Kantonians never changed their style of attack then it was easy to identify weaknesses and work around them. But it also meant that they were masters of whatever method of warfare they chose and that made them particularly deadly. Without knowing the identity of the commander, Falkner would be forced to adapt his battle tactics, literally on the fly.

But this was no time to second guess himself. He knew his men were ready, they had been trained for this and knew the risks associated that came with defending one's freedom but Arceus willing, they would survive this.

 _All the same, their fear flows past me like a chilling breeze. I need to galvanise these men. If there was ever a time to speak, it is now_

Falkner turned to his men, determined to make them fearless. When he spoke his voice reached the ears of all those around him inspiring them to let go of their fear and dive into the throws of battle without any regrets.

'You know why you are here men, your homes, you families, your very livelihoods have been threatened by a tyrannical force bent on domination and subjugation. I have seen firsthand the results of occupation. It is something I would never wish on anyone even our enemies. To fight and kill is never good but in the defense of one's liberty and independence we shall fight without fear and with prevailing courage and honor. I know you are frightened. I would be a fool and a liar if I claimed that I was neither, yet I stand before you today as your commander. I am only able to do this because I know that you stand behind me, for it is only together that we may bring about a peaceful conclusion to this war. So I ask you now, do you stand with me?!' he yelled passionately.

'Yes!' cried his men over and over again, the strength of their fearless voices reaching those on the streets below giving them hope.

Then on this day let us fly into a peaceful dawn! Let us fly into VICTORY!' he roared punching the air.

Both man and pokémon cheered in adulation, their hearts emboldened by their leaders' courage and fighting spirit.

But Falkner's speech had ended barely a moment too soon before the Talonflame with their keen senses began to pick up disturbances in the air currents signalling the arrival of more flying pokémon. Talonflame shrieked to alert Falkner of the incoming danger. Falkner however, as a result of his training with flying – type pokémon, had also detected the subtle change in the air.

'Get ready men!' Falkner shouted to his troops. Falkner's men immediately ceased their cheering. They tensed and assumed battle positions, each one saying one last prayer to Arceus before buckling down on their Talonflame, ready for the fight of their lives. For a moment there was absolute silence. Nobody moved a muscle and nobody spoke, creating the effect that time was moving much slower than it should have been.

Suddenly with the force of a hurricane, an entire battalion of Pidgeot descended from the clouds with their riders.

Falkner grinded his teeth and steeled himself for battle.

'This is it men! To arms!' he declared.

The Talonflame launched themselves in battle, with only one thought on their minds: Defend the motherland.

To the attacking Kantonians the Talonflame were little more than red blurs streaking past them, unable to be hit. The Pidgeot tried their best to hit the smaller fire birds but their powerful attacks were useless without a target to hit.

Falkner looked for an opening from above the battle, looking for somewhere where he could strike and take out the Kantonians unique armor from the equation.

'Come on, just one, give just me one shot' he said through gritted teeth, continuing to scan the battle field for an opportunity to strike.

Then he saw it.

One Pidgeot had just dodged a flame charge attack from another Talonflame leaving its' flank, and the links to its armor, exposed and vulnerable.

'Alright Talonflame, let's do this!' he commanded buckling down on the pokémon to provide the least amount of wind resistance.

Talon flame nodded and faster than a bolt of lightning shot itself towards the Pidgeots' vulnerable flank like an arrow. Talonflames' body became immersed in fire but this was of no concern to Falkner. Like all Talonflame riders he wore a special uniform that was resistant to fire.

Talonflame narrowed its eyes, going in for the kill.

Before the Pidgeot was even aware of its mistake a force travelling at an incredibly high speed had slammed into it disorientating the pokémon. Its' rider had no clue where the attack had come from and could only watch in horror as the specially designed armor they had been promised was indestructible fell apart. Exposed and at high risk of being attacked by a faster pokémon the Pidgeot retreated.

Falkner allowed a smirk to dominate his face. His tactic had proved successful, but his victory was short lived. The terrified screams of civilians could be heard in the streets directly below him.

Somehow one Pidgeot fighter had broken through the defensive line and was terrorizing civilians on the street. Its hurricane attack was causing mayhem, uprooting entire trees, smashing windows and hurtling people dangerously fast into the walls of the buildings along the street.

Without Falkner even having to ask Talonflame plunged itself downwards into the fray employing the same tactic of a high velocity attack to deal with this despicable excuse for a flying type.

The Pidgeot, too concerned with causing as much destruction as possible did not notice the impeding threat and much like its comrade was struck so suddenly it fell to the ground rolling onto its rider trapping him underneath the prostrate pokémon. Once upon the ground the rider was restrained by the local Officer Jenny and the Pidgeot was paralysed by people a thundershock attack from her Manetric. The grateful citizens cheered for Falkner who fist pumped the air victoriously before speeding off back into the conflict still raging above him.

The battle had only lasted for a quarter of an hour but to those fighting an eternity and a half had passed by. Both forces were completely spent but were still determined to win. Falkner furrowed his brow in frustration. His men and pokémon were almost at the point of exhaustion; that was obvious.

Luckily for them, the Kantonians were even more so.

'Come on men, we're so close now! To victory!' he yelled attempting to spur his men into action.

'To victory!' they yelled emphatically charging towards the tired Pidgeot. Fortunately for them, the outmatched Pidgeot were in full retreat.

The Kalosians cheered. Their mission had been a spectacular success. They had successfully defended Lumiose and had done so without any casualties. At glance all appeared well.

Falkner however, was not satisfied.

He would reserve celebrating until he was sure that the danger had passed.

But something was wrong.

Falkner narrowed his eyes at the retreating Pidgeot. They were not flying away from battle. They were flying up into the clouds. Falkner's blood went cold as he realized his mistake.

 _They're not retreating… they're regrouping!_

'Men, look sharp, this isn't over!' he yelled frantically towards his disorganized brigade.

Too busy celebrating they didn't notice they faint gush of air signifying an incoming pokémon. Falkner could only watch in horror as a massive beam of energy tore through the sky downing many of his men and injuring many others.

Falkner would recognize that hyper beam attack anywhere. It was the signature attack of a Kantonian Dragonite. And there was only one person in the entire Kantonian army that owned a Dragonite.

'Lance' muttered Falkner spitefully.

From the clouds descended a menacing Dragonite, fitted with armor Falkner knew even Talonflame would not be able to penetrate. Atop the dragon pokémon stood General Lance, proud and confident in his ability to achieve victory for Kanto. His cape flowed in the wind creating the effect of him being presented as a heroic figure.

But Falkner knew better.

Months before, it was General Lance who had personally led the assault on Goldenrod City. He was quick, efficient and extremely dangerous. His appearances on the battlefield were rare, but when he did reveal himself, destruction was guaranteed to follow.

Lance surveyed the beautiful city, smiling maliciously at how defenceless it was. This would be too easy. He snapped his head towards Falkner who was staring at him with an expression so full of hatred that anyone else would have cringed from the sheer intensity of it. Lance smirked locking Falkner in his icy glare. He recognized this man from Johto. He had commanded the Johtian Air Force when his army had laid siege to the capital city: Goldenrod. He laughed inwardly at the memory of his defeat. It was swift and humiliating. In other words, a perfect mission.

 _'So he has decided to show his face in my skies again. Oh well, his funeral'_

'Lance!' raged Falkner. 'You don't know how long I have waited for this moment. Every home you have destroyed, every life you have taken… I will get vengeance for all of them!' he yelled pointing accusatorily at the General.

'Ha ha, I'm afraid this will not be like Goldenrod. Dragonite and I have also been waiting. You see my misguided friend, this is not the same Dragonite you faced in Johto. My beloved pokémon and I have been training non – stop since our last encounter with you' he stated proudly, patting Dragonite's lustrous armor.

Falkner was curious as to what Lance meant but his memory of Goldenrod reminded him not to let his guard down.

'We have ascended to new heights, Dragonite and I. We have acquired power, power the likes of which has never been seen before… and now that you are here I think it is time to put that power to the test' hissed Lance cracking his knuckles.

Falkner braced himself for the worst. Whatever happened, at least he would go down fighting.

'Dragonite… DRAGONIC OBLITERATOR!' (A new move I made up – imagine it as a super powered Draco Meteor) yelled Lance. Dragonite's eyes glowed a luminescent blue. Then the dragon pokémon opened its mouth gathering a massive amount of glowing energy. Electricity crackled around the ball of energy which only continued to grow in size casting a dark shadow over the city below. Around them the clouds grew dark and began to swirl over Dragonite who continued to draw energy into the ball.

'Alright Talonflame, this is it, let's go!' yelled Falkner hoping that there was still a chance to stop Lance.

Talonflame powered its way through the air letting out a battle cry of pure defiance. The pair sped towards Lance at a break neck pace.

Surprisingly, Lance did not show the slightest amount of concern. In fact he looked almost bored. Falkner was puzzled by his lack of action but did not question it, believing it to be just a show of unbridled overconfidence and arrogance.

 _So that monster is not afraid? Well, I'll give him a reason to be afraid!_

Falkner urged Talonflame to fly even faster. Maybe they could actually pull this off.

Then Lance did the strangest thing. Instead of responding as Falkner had expected he turned to a cloud and nodded his head. This confused Falkner but he believed to be irrelevant. They were so close now that even if Lance did attempt to defend himself it would be too late.

Then out of nowhere, just as Talonflame was about to attack, an object moving at an incredible speed collided with the pokémon sending it off course. The flame bird reeled in confusion before it was hit again by the same speeding object confusing it.

'Talonflame! Hold steady my friend' pleaded Falkner who despite being a flying type master was having trouble staying balanced on the confused pokémon. Out of the corner of his eye he could have sworn he saw another pokémon, one with a very long beak.

'Fearow' muttered Falkner, his fists clenched in anger. Lance who had observed the drama unfold beneath him smirked. This has been his plan all along.

'You didn't think I would come alone did you?' he asked mockingly to the tired Falkner. Behind him a legion of Kantonian Fearow materialized seemingly from nowhere. They were much more formidable than the Pidgeot Falkner had defeated earlier and their drill peck attack was lethal.

The aerial commander looked up at the smug dragon master wanting nothing more than to wipe that arrogant smirk from his face. He growled in frustration. He was clearly outmatched once again and Dragonite was still drawing energy to feed its new attack. He wanted to fight but he was outnumbered and outgunned. He would be struck dead before he try anything. There was nothing he could possibly do.

' _I have failed… again.'_ He thought bowing his head in shame.

Talonflame sensed his masters' anxiety and cooed softly trying to comfort him. But Talonflame also realized that at this point, the chances of a Kalosian victory were remote.

'Lance' called Falkner, his voice almost dripping with contempt.

The dragon master looked at him, satisfied that the display of Kantonian power had crushed his willingness to continue.

'I – I surrender, but please, this city does not need to suffer. There are innocent people down there, have mercy on them' he pleaded, although it killed him inside to even speak in friendly tone to this defiler of nations.

Lance considered the humiliated commanders' request for a moment. To be honest, he wasn't very keen on destroying the city either but he knew that once Dragonite started it could not be stopped, even by him.

'I'm afraid I can't do that, you see once Dragonite starts charging this particular attack it cannot be stopped' he yelled to the defeated captain.

Falkner was at the point of desperation now. There had to be some way to save this beautiful city.

 _Perhaps I could –_

'FIRE!' shouted Lance cutting off Falkner's train of thought. Dragonite's ball of energy, which by now had grown to a monstrous size was blasted into the air before exploding into thousands of balls of super charged energy, all of them crashing into the defenceless city below.

'NO!' cried out Falkner who could only watch in horror as entire buildings were sent crashing down. The cries of frightened people and pokémon alike were being drowned out by the constant sound of more energy colliding with the earth, destroying whatever it touched. One of ball of energy hit the Lumiose Tower causing it to lose all power. Lumiose was burning to ground before Falkner's very eyes and there was nothing he could do about it.

Falkner's body folded over in defeat. He had failed to protect his home once again. Tomorrow the citizens of Kalos would wake up to find themselves in an occupied nation. Talonflame, stunned beyond belief at the carnage below failed to notice two approaching Fearow whose riders threw out two rings which bounds it body as if held by an invisible rope, immobilizing it (Think of Pokémon: Movie 2000 with those rings that caught the legendary birds) Falkner was put in energy cuffs of his own. He didn't even try to resist as they flew him away from the city now enveloped in a deadly fire storm.

The defeated Kalosians alongside their devastated leader were transported far away, most likely to Kanto where they would be sent to the dreaded re – education facilities. Falkner suspected that as a commander he would face a mock trail followed by his execution.

He didn't even care anymore.

Only Lance remained behind, transfixed by the destruction he had brought upon the city.

'So this is what it feels like to be Arceus' he whispered almost reverently to himself. His expression was unfathomable, but if it was, not a trace of guilt would be present. With one last frown he looked down at the burning city coming to the conclusion that this test trial had been more successful than even he could imagine. Then without sparing a single second for the surely dying people below him he and Dragonite flew off after the Fearow. But once the fires died down… they would be back.

 ** _Present_**

 _Oh well, it's not like he could do anything about it now. I hope he's alright though'_ she thought thinking of the incarcerated aerial commander.

The girl continued to watch from the shadows as more Pidgeot followed by Fearow overran the skies. Beneath her the ground shook violently making the girl tremble in fear. Dedenne nudged her arm, reassuring her that everything would be alright.

'Thanks dedenne' she whispered gratefully.

She chanced peaking outside to see what was making the very earth shake. It had to be something big.

'Or a lot of big things' she whispered in astonishment once the perpetrators of the earth shaking became visible.

From the smoke emerged ground troops of Kantonian pokémon who were now finally able to enter the city. The girl recognized some of them from books her brother kept on pokémon native to Kanto.

 _'Golem, Nidoking and Machamp… to name just a few'_ she thought observing the intimidating pokémon marching who were marching in the direction of the city centre.

These pokémon were accompanied by human troops who were just as intimidating in their sharp uniforms, all of them marching in perfect unison. Both man and pokémon were emblazoned with the Kantonian Insignia, the world's new symbol of oppression. They moved as one cohesive unit, like a great colossus with many heads, of all them scarier than the last. If the girl wasn't scared of the Kantonians before, she was now.

Despite her fear she followed alongside the troops in the shadows of the wrecked buildings ensuring that she remained out of sight.

She figured that anyone left in Lumiose would probably be gathering at the city center in front of the now, lifeless, Lumiose Tower.

After five minutes of tailing the marching troops they reached their destination. The girl was more than happy to be rid of these soulless creatures.

She almost squealed in excitement when they arrived at the city centre for there she finally saw other Kalosians. Most of them were injured with bruises and cuts on their faces, some with bloody bandages wrapped around the heads or arms. Some looked relatively unharmed. But what they all shared in common was the collective look of defeat on their faces. Not one of them resisted when the Kantonian troops entered their vicinity.

The girl felt very sorry for all these people, some of them she even knew by name, but there was only one person she was concerned with finding at the moment. She scanned the crowd looking for the signature blond hair and large round glasses that would give away her big brother. She looked until there, sitting on an upside down bucket, his face a mask of grief, was the person she had wanted to find most of all.

'Clemont!' shouted the young girl, running towards her brother, dedenne also crying out with joy.

Her brother snapped his head up in surprise at the sound of his sister's voice. When he saw her running towards him, his eyes welled up with tears. He hadn't lost his sister in the fires as he had previously thought. He ran towards her as well, more happy than he had ever been to see her in his entire life.

However, the girl in her haste had forgotten just why she was hiding in the shadows. Before she could reach her brother she felt an intense pressure on her shoulder. She turned around only to find two Kantonian soldiers holding her back, leering at her menacingly.

'Clemont, help me!' the girl cried out. Her brother who had caught up got on his knees pleading with the occupying soldiers to release his sister. Dedenne was about to intervene when an Arbok coiled itself around the tiny electric mouse. It cried out in protest but the cobra pokémon only tightened its grip.

'Please, she's just a little girl, let her go' begged Clemont, desperately trying to reach his little sister.

'Spare me your whining Kalosian filth, I reserve no sympathy for the children of lower peoples' spat the soldier angrily. Clemont was almost on the verge of tears being unable to protect his sister.

'Take her in, this one looks young enough to be re – educated' added the second soldier, sneering at Clemont as he did.

By now the other Kalosian people who had been observing the drama cried out in protest, their angry voices drowning out the commands that the soldiers were barking at them.

'What is the trouble here?' asked a calm but deep voice breaking through the melee of shouting and crying.

All heads turned towards the source of voice. Standing before the arguing crowd was a tall, muscular figure, dressed smartly in his military uniform. The uniform he was wearing was different from the soldiers being confronted by the Kalosians. His was a dark shade of black. On his overcoat there was a medal; its design a beautiful golden Moltres surrounded by a ring of fire with the words, _Titan of Fire_ inscribed on it.

The Kalosians took notice of his age, he couldn't have been over twenty – five. But despite his impressive demeanor he still seemed to radiate an aura of kindness and generosity. The little girl who had previously felt only hatred towards the Kantonians now felt foolish for thinking they were all the same. The man that stood before them was obviously different.

'General Red!' exclaimed the soldiers who straightened their uniforms before saluting in perfect unison.

Seeing its master submit to this man, Arbok released its grip on dedenne letting it go completely. Dedenne scampered back to Bonnie and hid in her satchel. The man now revealed as one General Red curtly nodded to the soldiers before turning his attention to young girl, now freed from the soldier's captivity.

Red took a knee, reaching the little girls' eye level. He gave her a warm smile which eased the tension between the two peoples. Nevertheless, Clemont kept a firm grip on his sisters' shoulder. He would rather die than see his sister being used as a tool by Kanto. Red gave him a quick glance, understanding his emotions. If his family was being threatened he was sure he wouldn't trust the attackers either.

'Tell me young one, what is your name?' asked Red kindly.

'B – Bonnie' answered the girl nervously.

'Bonnie. That's a nice name, and tell me, who is this?' asked Red noticing dedenne in Bonnies' satchel.

'Oh, this is dedenne, it's my best friend in the whole world' explained Bonnie losing any fear she had previously held against Red. Clemont looked at her with a surprised expression. If Bonnie liked this man than he couldn't be all that bad, despite the fact that he was Kantonian.

Red let out a light chuckle.

'Is that so? Well here, allow me to introduce my best friend in the whole world' said Red.

He looked up to the sky and whistled. Everyone looked up as the sun was temporarily blotted out by a massive beastly shape. A large orange dragon like creature landed on the ground, creating a ripple of dust from the strength of the impact. The dragon roared proudly issuing a beam of flame from its mouth.

'This is my best friend Charizard' said Red proudly stroking Charizards' snout. The pokémon growled softly in contentment.

'Wow!' squealed Bonnie, who was wide eyed with awe at Charizards' power.

Red smiled. He was always happy to show off Charizard and he knew that Charizard lost no opportunity to show how strong it was.

'Would you like to touch him? He likes to be scratched behind the ear, don't you buddy?

Charizard roared in agreement.

Bonnie wasted no time in running up to the imposing dragon hugging its snout tightly before scratching it behind the ear. Charizard roared its approval causing Bonnie to giggle.

'You're not so scary after all, you're a sweetheart aren't you' chided Bonnie sweetly kissing the dragon on its snout.

Close up it almost looked as if Charizard was blushing. Red had to restrain himself from bursting out in laughter. He liked this sweet little girl. But this city was not safe anymore. He took moment to observe the carnage that Lance had caused. This was unnecessary, he would have to speak to him about it later.

He turned to the two soldiers who had been quietly watching the scene unfold before them. They did not expect their General to be so lenient with the occupied population but they had no authority to question him.

'This girl and her brother are to be transported to Vaniville immediately, if anyone asks, tell them to contact me, do you understand?' ordered Red, a serious expression on his face. The two soldiers turned to each other, one more confused than the other.

'But sir, began the first soldier, they are the enemy' blurted the first soldier

'Not to mention that this one is a Kalosian General' added the second soldier motioning towards Clemont.

Red shook his head angrily.

'Are you two disobeying a direct order?' he asked staring them down. One look from Red was enough to unsettle the two soldiers who nervously adjusted their collars and exchanged nervous glances with each other.

'No, no, of course not sir' said one guard who motioned for a Fearow to come get them.

Red turned back to the two blond haired siblings and smiled.

'You two will be relocated to a safer location, I assure you, no harm will come to you' said Red directly to Clemont.

'And the rest of the citizens? We can't just leave them behind' exploded Clemont his fists clenched.

'Do not worry about them, they too will be relocated but as you can see, this city is no longer fit for human habitation, but I give my word, you will be able to come home one day' explained Red reassuringly.

Clemont turned to the people behind him.

'I can't just leave you here' he said to one elderly man.

'Do it Clemont, do it for Bonnie, we'll find our way rest assured' answered the old man calmly with a wink.

Clemont sighed, trusting Red might be their only chance to leave the city.

'Fine we'll go… but I'm only doing this for Bonnie' he explained to Red. Red nodded and motioned for the Fearow to come forward.

Clemont helped Bonnie up on the flying pokémon before mounting it himself.

'Red, I never thought I'd say this to a Kantonian but… thank you' he admitted extending his hand.

Red was quite surprised by the young man's actions. It just went to show that unexpected things happened all the time. Regardless, Red happily shook Clemonts' hand. They might have been adversaries on the battle field but it didn't mean it had to be personal.

'Goodbye Charizard! I'll miss you!' hollered Bonnie gleefully as the Fearow began its ascent. Charizard roared in farewell. Much like his master, he too was fond of the cheerful little girl. Red waved as the Fearow grew smaller and smaller on the horizon before it was gone, far away to the south where hopefully the war would not follow.

Red smiled knowing that those two would be safe.

He turned back to the two soldiers who were still standing at attention. 'Evacuate all the citizens to Shalour City, no one is to be left behind' ordered Red

'Yes sir!' chorused the soldiers before marching away corralling the remaining citizens into a single group, ordering them to gather their possessions.

Satisfied that the situation was under control Red mounted his Charizard sparing one last look for the destroyed city. He scrunched his nose in distaste at the scene of destruction below him. He would definitely be talking to Lance about this when he got back.

'Alright, buddy let's go' he said patting Charizard on the head.

Charizard nodded and with one stroke of its powerful wings was speeding away back to Kiloude for a briefing on the next course of action in the already destructive war.

 ** _Later in the Afternoon_**

Clemont was quiet the entire flight to Vaniville. He was still trying to figure out why Red helped them.

 _Where supposed to be enemies, yet he helped us… why?'_

'Clemont, look!' shouted Bonnie excitedly, pointing towards the ground. Clemont decided to leave those thoughts behind for the time being. After all, he had more important things to think about, like what they were going to do once they reached wherever they were going. Clemont readjusted his glasses and looked to where Bonnie was pointing.

She was pointing towards a small town, not much bigger than Gosenge but certainly more of a looker than that ancient relic of a town. And best of all it appeared to be untouched by the war.

'So that's we're going, Vaniville Town' whispered Clemont smiling at the serene little town.

'It's so beautiful Clemont' exclaimed Bonnie stunned by the fact that she had never thought of visiting here before.

'Yes Bonnie it is' answered Clemont slowly, transfixed by its calm atmosphere.

Not long after the town had come in view, the Fearow transporting them began its descent landing in front of a quaint two story house. In front of the house stood two Elite Kantonian guards. The two guards stood on each side of a beautiful smiling women who was standing with her hands on her hips.

The two siblings walked up to the women nervously, not knowing what to expect. The two guards stood stationary not even sparing the two a passing glance. Clemont had expected that but it didn't make it any less nerve – wracking. He wondered what would the woman be like?

The woman smiled warmly at the pair.

'Hi kids, my name is Grace Yvonne, please come in. I want you to feel as comfortable as possible' she said motioning for them to enter the house. Clemont reeled in surprise.

 _Kids? Do I really look that young?_ He thought unsure as to whether he should feel offended or not. Everyone except the guards entered the home. Clemont looked outside one last time at the Fearow who was already taking off and gulped. This was home now.

'Please kids, just call me Grace' called the new woman from the kitchen. Clemont and Bonnie looked around at Graces' house. It certainly looked smaller from the outside. It was comfortably furnished with several items that certainly looked imported, probably from somewhere far away like Unova. The mantelpiece was lined with framed pictures, most of them with two females in them, one of them obviously Grace, the other a younger girl, with honey blond hair. Like Grace she had cyan blue eyes and much like Grace she was extremely beautiful.

'Clemont who do you think this is?' asked Bonnie curiously observing one of the pictures. Inside her bag she felt dedenne squirm in its sleep. She giggled at the feeling of his tail unknowingly tickling her ribs. It was so adorable.

'Well it's probably her –

'Alright kids, who wants lemonade?' asked Grace cheerfully, entering the living room with a tray bearing three tall glasses of the sparkling drink.

'Thank Ms Grace' said Bonnie running up and grabbing a glass of lemonade drinking it all in one gulp. After she was done she had a large grin on her face, which pleased Grace. She was always happy when people were enjoying themselves.

'That was great!' she exclaimed happily. Grace beamed at her.

'I'm glad you liked it Bonnie. And what about you Clemont, please don't be shy' she said offering the tray to Clemont.

'Thanks' said Clemont tentatively taking a glass.

'Um… How do you know our names?' he asked as kindly as possible. If they were going to live with this woman it wouldn't bode well for them if they upset her.

'Oh, Clemont, don't be so suspicious. You are, sorry, _were_ , a general in the army were you not? Your father is the most famous engineer in all of Kalos so it's only natural I know of your family and as for your sister, well would it surprise you to know that Bonnie is being spoken of all around Kalos as the girl who was spared by the Kantonians' she explained knowingly.

Clemonts eyebrows rose so high they were almost lost in his hair. He felt foolish for forgetting his high ranking military position as criteria for someone recognizing him.

 _I suppose that's what happens when you lose your fancy title'_ thought Clemont bitterly.

However, the knowledge of Bonnie as someone so special came as a surprise to him.

'I see' he muttered softly. He then took a sip of lemonade to wet his parched throat.

Bonnie was looking at another photo on Grace's mantelpiece. Like all the others this one had both Grace and the other woman standing with their arms affectionately wrapped around each other.

'Excuse me Ms Grace, could you tell me who this is?' asked Bonnie showing Grace the photo.

'Oh, well that's my –

 _KNOCK, KNOCK, KNOCK_

All three jumped at the sound of loud banging on the door. Bonnie hid behind Clemont who braced himself for a fight.

'Don't worry kids, I'll handle this' said Grace seriously taking a deep breath before slowly walking towards the door. Grace opened the door and let out a disappointed sigh.

'What has she done this time?' she asked whoever was at the door almost as if she had been in this situation before. Clemont dared to peek over at the doorway to see who it was.

Two Kantonian guards stood holding a young women, each with one arm gripped firmly in their arms. The young woman wore a scowl on her face and was struggling to break free.

'She was caught trying to leave town… _again!_ ' snapped the first guard, tightening his grip on the girls' arm.

'Look Grace, we like you well enough but if this happens again we will report you to Lt. Surge' added the second guard more kindly than the first.

'Of course, I'm sorry. This will not happen again' promised Grace calmly.

'Just keep your daughter in line Grace' ordered the second guard.

Then with a little but more force than would be considered necessary, the guards pushed the girl into the house and left. Grace quickly shut the door behind her and let out a deep breath. Meanwhile the girl stood in the living room with her arms crossed, neglecting to even notice Bonnie and Clemont.

Grace rounded on the younger girl, glaring at her angrily.

'What were you thinking?!' she half yelled.

'Somebody has to stand up for our people mom, just because you've given up doesn't I have to!' she yelled before storming up the stairs.

'We're not finished here young lady, you come back down here right now!' yelled Grace from the base of the stairs. The only response was the sound of a door slamming.

Grace almost doubled over with anxiety while the two blond siblings stood in stony silence unsure of what to do.

'What am I going to do with that girl…' she asked herself exasperatedly. Remembering she had guest she quickly turned to the still stiff siblings and put on a tired smile.

'I'm sorry about that, please ignore her, she is bit… strong willed'

'Ms Grace, who was that?' asked Bonnie, more curious as to identity of this girl.

'Oh, that was my daughter' said Grace wearily. Bonnie slowly nodded in acknowledgement.

'What's her name?' asked Clemont who was also curious about the entire situation.

Grace chuckled softly and rolled her eyes before answering.

'Serena, fits doesn't it?'

 **Wow, for a prologue that was pretty long. But at least now you have a general overview of the situation. Hopefully I can update sooner than later but you know, life happens. But perhaps this prologue leaves more questions unanswered than answered. Why is Serena trying to leave town and what is up with her rebellious attitude? That is not the Serena we are used to! What is the explanation for Lance's new power? What is Red, the hero of pokémon doing in an invading army bent on domination? And just what happened to Falkner? We shall find out. All questions and comments alike are welcome! Until next time : )**

 **And chapter one is ago! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter which is definitely loaded with historical innuendos. If you know what they are don't hesitate to shout out!**


	2. Ruined Plans

**And chapter one is ago! I hope you enjoy reading this chapter which is definitely loaded with historical innuendos. If you know what they are don't hesitate to shout out!**

 **Chapter One: Ruined Plans**

'She's so pretty!' exclaimed Bonnie. Graces' face lit up upon hearing those words.

'She is, but don't let her looks fool you, my Serena is one tough fighter' she stated proudly. Although Clemont had no joined in the conversation he too thinking of Serena with great interest.

 _Why was Serena trying to leave town?_ He wondered to himself. He wondered how anyone could possibly think of leaving this place. It was comfortable, homely and most importantly, it was safe. Clemont simply could not understand Serena's actions.

'Clemont sweetie, you look distracted, can I get you anything?' asked Grace concernedly upon seeing Clemonts' serious expression.

'Huh? Oh no thank you Ms Grace, sorry I was just thinking about a few things' he explained quickly waving down her offer.

Grace realized he was hiding something but decided it would be best if she didn't pry in Clemonts' personal affairs.

'If you insist Clemont, but remember if there is anything troubling you, please don't hesitate to come to me alright' she said giving Clemont a knowing look. Clemont nodded in response.

'Well then, let me show you to your rooms' bubbled Grace excitedly, practically running up the stairs. Clemont and Bonnie exchanged amused looks before following her upstairs. It was quiet upstairs, almost too quiet, especially when they both knew that one of these rooms had to be Serena's'.

Every door was large and white with no identifying markers so there was no chance of telling whose room was whose. Clemont almost groaned out loud in distaste. He hated uniformity. It was so… bland. When he was little his father had thought him that life is made of up many different things, each one unique in their own way, but in the end when you put them together they made something spectacular. Seeing all these plain white doors was just a little bit too overbearing for Clemont.

They also reminded him too much of the Kantonian regime. They _adored_ uniformity. They believed that doing things in an orderly and regimental manner made them superior to others who they felt took an unacceptable causal approach to life. It almost made Clemont cringe.

Bonnie was also looking at the white doors with interest, but not for the same reason as Clemont. She was too young to contemplate deep topics like life and uniformity. Instead she was trying to identify which door opened into Serena's room. Her fascination with the rebellious girl had not subsided to say the least. Despite her attitude, Bonnie still wanted to get to know Serena.

 _If only I could find the right door,_ she thought seriously beginning to question to use of having so many identical doors. Maybe Grace thought it was funny to confuse people.

'Alright kids, here we are' said Grace cheerfully upon reaching the last in a series of white doors. Clemont and Bonnie internally sighed in relief. Their door was the last down the right side of hall. At least they would have some way of knowing which door was theirs. She opened the door revealing a comfortable room, with a nice bed and if you could believe it, a laptop and television.

'Wow!' breathed the siblings in unison.

'I'm so glad you like it' she squealed clapping her hands together.

Clemont examined the room thoroughly. Along with looking like it should belong to a hotel it also had a beautiful view of the town, where he could see people going about their daily business, although to him they were moving unusually fast for leisurely shoppers.

'Ms Grace, why is everyone moving so fast down there?' asked Clemont pointing towards the people on the streets. Grace came over to take a look. When she saw what Clemont was pointing she sighed sadly.

'Oh that, well you see, the Kantonians have placed a curfew on the town. No is allowed out after 8pm' she concluded pointing out the soldiers who were moving the shoppers along in an orderly and efficient manner.

'See those men, they are in charge of distributing food rations to the people. All of the food being produced gets sent to the front so we have to live off rations I'm afraid… Things have become much harder since the invasion and with the fall of Lumiose I don't think it's going to get any better' she explained sadly.

Clemonts' head drooped in shame. After all he was the one in charge of protecting Lumiose, now all these people were suffering because of his failure. Grace turned to Clemont and realized the effect her words had on Clemont.

She gasped, cupping her hands to her mouth in horror at what she had just said.

'Clemont… I'm sorry, I didn't mean it like that –

'No, it _is_ my fault. I failed everybody' he said softly, wiping a tear from his eye. He didn't want anyone to see him like this and decided it would be better if he left the room. But as he turned to leave he felt a surprisingly strong hand pull him back. Before he could respond he was being hugged by Grace.

Clemont was no kid but he hadn't been hugged like this since his mother died many years ago. It was a nice feeling, one he had almost forgotten.

'It's not your fault Clemont', cooed Grace softly, stroking Clemonts' hair. 'There was nothing you could have done. I don't blame you sweetie, no one does' she said desperately wanting him to understand that this was not his fault.

After getting over the initial shock of being hugged by a complete stranger, he slowly reciprocated, finally letting out of all his pent up emotions. He sobbed bitterly onto Grace's shoulder, allowing his tears to freely flow down his face. He didn't want Bonnie to see her big brother in such a state but it had simply become too much of burden to bottle up his feelings of shame and self – hatred.

'Shhh, it's alright dear. You got your sister here safely. Not to mention that you managed to talk some sense into a Kantonian. Why, you didn't just talk to _any_ Kantonian, you stood down _General Red_ , the High Commander of the entire Kantonian Army' she exclaimed trying to boost his morale.

Clemont knew her interpretation of the events in Lumiose was stretching the truth to its limit but he didn't have the heart to tell her otherwise. She pat him on the back and gave him a warm smile.

'You have done good things Clemont, you haven't failed anybody' she assured.

Clemont wiped away his tears with his sleeve. He couldn't think of his past failures. What he should be thinking about is how he was going to make the world a better place in the future. He nodded in gratitude to Grace.

'There, that's better' she said happily.

'Now let me show your energetic sister where _she_ will be staying' said Grace motioning to where Bonnie was previously standing. Grace actually planned on having the two siblings in the same room, that way it wouldn't be so lonely. But she just wanted Clemont to think he wasn't sharing a room with his little sister, after all she did enjoy playing jokes.

However there was a problem with that.

Bonnie was gone. Clemont and Grace looked at each other and shrugged. Neither of them had seen or heard Bonnie leaving.

'Bonnie!' hollered Clemont.

'I'm in here big brother' called Bonnie from the room next door.

'Oh dear' muttered Grace hurrying over to the door.

'What's wrong? Is she not safe in that room?' asked Clemont concernedly, hurrying after her.

Grace spun around, an embarrassed expression on her face.

'Well… in a manner of speaking' she said abashedly.

Clemont narrowed his eyes. He was starting to see the picture and he wasn't sure if he liked it.

'What do you mean, in a manner of speaking? He asked cautiously.

Grace twiddled her thumbs for a moment putting a fake smile on her face.

'Well you see, the room next door is… Serena's' she admitted almost guiltily.

Clemont rolled his eyes. Surely Serena couldn't be as bad as her mother made her out to be. Calmly he walked over to the door, which was slightly ajar and smartly rapped it three times.

'Bonnie… are you in there?' he whispered, slighting opening the door further. He felt someone grab the other side of the door knob and then the slam the door in his face.

'Sorry big brother, yes I'm in here but no boys allowed' she said mischievously from the other side of the door.

'Oh yeah says who?' asked Clemont haughtily puffing out his chest

'I do' answered a calm but stern voice from inside the room. Clemonts' chest deflated like a popped balloon. He gulped and fidgeted nervously with his collar.

That must have been Serena.

'Sorry… Serena, I didn't mean it like that' he apologised nervously. Serena took a little longer than expected to respond. It was clear that there hadn't been a male in her household in quite some time. In fact to Clemont it was quite apparent that nobody had been here besides her mother.

'Um, so listen, I was just wondering if I could see Bonnie, I mean, it's OK if you say no…' he trailed off not wanting to get into a confrontation with the intimidating girl.

 _I was wrong, she isn't scary at all… she terrifying!_ He thought breaking into a sweat as the door opened slowly.

Although he had expected to see Serena he was instead faced with Bonnie standing with dedenne on her shoulder, a childish grin on her face.

'Well now that you're done crying, I guess it's alright to let you in' teased Bonnie opening the door wide for him to enter. Clemont smiled gratefully and took a step in.

'Wait' said Bonnie suddenly closing the door, barely missing Clemonts foot. Clemont growled in irritation.

'Bonnie, now is not the time for your childish games' muttered Clemont exasperatedly. Bonnie laughed from the other side of the door.

'Sorry Clemont, I've got to ask whether Serena is OK with letting you in, after all it is her room' said Bonnie with a serious tone. Clemont stood there stunned. He knew she was right of course but he hadn't expected something so… mature to come from someone like Bonnie.

 _Why didn't I think of that? Geez, everybody seems to be smarter than me today_ '

'Serena, can I let my brother in?' whispered Bonnie. Clemont rolled his eyes upon hearing his sister's attempt at whispering. She definitely wasn't the subtle type. Although Clemont didn't hear Serena's response she must have said something because a second later the door opened revealing a very smug bonnie.

'Alright big brother, come on in but wipe your shoes first' she warned pointing at his boots.

'How about I just take them off?' asked Clemont who was concerned about scraping his dirty boots on Grace's clean floor.

'Hmm… alright then' agreed Bonnie cheerfully beckoning for Clemont to enter.

'De – denne' chirped the little pokémon hopping up and down with excitement.

'It's good to see you too dedenne' said Clemont nudging the electric mouse's cheek.

Clemont looked around Serena's room taking it all in. It was just as big as the guest room but there was no television. The bed was smaller, made for only one person he guessed. Plastered around the wall were posters of a beautiful women dressed in a white military uniform. Clemont recognised her immediately. The woman was Diantha, Supreme Commander of the Kalosian Army. She was the first female in Kalosian history to be recognised as head of the armed forces.

Serena sat at her desk, her eyes darting back and forth over the map she was studying. She had already changed into more comfortable clothes, a simple t – shirt and pants. Much like earlier downstairs she did not acknowledge Clemonts' presence making Clemont feel slightly uneasy.

 _'Maybe I could try breaking the ice. I should at least try to talk to her'_ he thought.

'So… Serena, what're you looking at there?' asked Clemont quizzically glancing at Serena's map. Serena turned to Clemont who by now was fearing the worst.

Then she did the impossible. She actually smiled.

Clemonts' jaw almost dropped to the ground. He had only known her for a few hours but the impression he got of her was a serious not to be messed with type of girl.

'Well don't look so surprised Clemont, I can be nice when I want to' she said with a wink.

'Oh no, I wasn't thinking…um, well, what I meant was –

Serena giggled causing Clemonts' face to turn cherry red.

'It's alright Clemont, I know what you meant. But I'm glad you're here. You're a general in the army right?' she asked hopefully.

Clemont nodded, withholding the fact that he had lost his title via capitulation. For now he would just see where this was heading.

'Come see what I've been working on, I know you as a military man will understand' she reasoned motioning him to come forward.

Clemont stepped forward, his inquisitive nature overruling his confusion regarding Serena's behaviour. In front of Serena was a map of Kalos shaded in two different colours, red and blue. Judging by the way it was coloured, Clemont assumed that the blue represented Kalos and the red represented Kanto. A large 'X' was crossed over Vaniville Town with a line trailing through it that went through Aquacorde Town, Santalune Forest and a few other places before finally ending in Lumiose City.

'Um… Serena what is this?' he asked. Now he believed he finally understood why Serena was attempting to escape Vaniville.

 _So this is why she was trying to leave, she wants to reach Lumiose. No, I'm probably just jumping to conclusions here, I mean hasn't she heard…. She hasn't heard the news yet._

Clemont dreaded having to tell Serena about the fall of Lumiose. He was more afraid of what she would do to him when she found out than he was of what impact this would have on her little 'adventure'.

'Clemont, since you're a famous general who surely has tons of experience in the field I would like you to give me some advice. I just want to know your opinion on my travel route. Is it safe?' she asked, outlining the route she planned to take once more.

She had been trying to reach Lumiose for the past two weeks but every time she was caught by the guards only increased the amount of time she could've been spending fighting on the front. Thankfully Clemonts' arrival had presented her with an Arceus given opportunity. With his expertise, she could escape and make her way to defend the capital. Unfortunately for Serena, her neglect of listening to the news had made her oblivious to the sad reality that even if she did make to Lumiose, it wouldn't matter for it was already too late.

Clemont knew he needed to tell her, after all it would be cruel not to. But how could he possibly crush her dreams like that?

 _No, better I tell her now than she finds out from someone else_

'Well its fine I suppose, but... you see…'

'Come on Clemont, if there's anything wrong with it, you have to tell me!'

'Serena, I'm sorry but –

'Kids, come down here quick!' yelled Grace from downstairs in a distressed tone. Bonnie, who had been playing with dedenne in the corner rushed down the stairs closely followed by Clemont and Serena. Serena was not done with Clemont just yet, she wanted this plan to go off without a hitch and for that to work, she needed Clemonts' expert military opinion.

When they reached living the saw Grace standing behind one of the couches, clutching a tissue in one hand, tears cascading down her face. Serena's eyes widened in shock. She had never seen her mother cry before.

'Mom, what's wrong?!' she asked concernedly running over to comfort her.

The only sound that came from Grace was her sobs but she managed to shakily point to the television which had previously gone unnoticed. Everyone turned their attention to the television screen and gasped in horror.

The screen showed the remains of Lumiose City, in the same destroyed state as when Clemont and Bonnie left. The shock made Serena physically weak and she had to sit down just to stop herself from collapsing. Never in a million years could she have imagined something like this could happen. Bonnie and Clemont stood with saddened expressions on their faces. They knew, they were there, but it didn't make it any easier seeing their home destroyed.

The screen showed Kantonian troops marching in the street.

 _One, two, three, four…. One, two, three, four_

Marching in perfect unison as always, their eyes eternally facing forward. The great Kantonian war machine marching across the remains of its shattered victim. A true sinister parade of death

Their pokémon followed close behind looking extremely intimidating in their battle armour as always. They stopped in front of Lumiose Tower, making a direct 90 degree turn to face the damaged icon. The sound of the marching ceased and for a moment all seemed quiet.

In front of the Lumiose Tower stood both Lance and Red. Despite them fighting on the same side they didn't seem pleased with their proximity to each other, this only further proved by their pokémon who were staring daggers at each other. Both Charizard and Dragonite looked ready to kill. When the troops had fully gathered in front of Lumiose Tower, Lance stepped forward to the podium earning a disapproving stare from Red. Everyone in the Yvonne household leaned in to hear what he was about to say.

 _'Citizens of Kalos, four months ago you declared war on Kanto in the hopes of attaining the impossible. The so called 'liberation' of Johto. This action was accompanied by overconfidence and arrogance. These virtues which your people have held so dear are to blame for your inevitable defeat. Much like Johto considered itself to be a state of higher culture than Kanto, so did Kalos and your ally Hoenn proclaim to hold moral superiority over our nation._

 _Your misguided belief in own ability without regarding ours has led to your downfall and for this you have been rightly humiliated. This will be the first step of many to create a new order on Earth. For too long you and your allies have regarded our people as mere novelties that could be ordered to do your bidding._

 _But no more!_

 _By the mercy of Arceus, the natural order is beginning to take shape again. Yesterday, I received confirmation of the Kalosian High Commands' surrender. The leaders you have held in such high esteem have abandoned you…_

'What is he talking about?!' shouted a scandalized Serena.

'Hush, listen and you might find out' urged Clemont, eager to understand what Lance meant. Serena gave him a hard look but went back to silently watching Lance.

 _That is right citizens of Kalos. I repeat, your leaders have abandoned you. They have left you to your faith, more interested in preserving their own cowardly lives than those of the people they swore to defend. As you can see, our last strike on your capital city has left it completely desolate, a faith others will share if they resist Kanto. This is your first and only warning. We can be benevolent occupiers but if you so wish in any way to continue to resist us, we promise you will not have a country to come back to. All soldiers of the Kaloian Army are to hand in their weapons with no exceptions. Any soldier or citizen for that matter found in violation of this basic law will be incarcerated and sent to Kanto to await trial._

Red shook his head disapprovingly lightly enough so only someone very close to him would notice. He didn't like this at all. It wasn't right.

 _That is all… for now_ ' finished Lance who stepped away from the podium. The soldiers cheered and raised their hands. The pokémon roared and grunted like wild animals. The Kantonian flag was placed on top of Lumiose Tower by a Pidgeot and its rider earning more cheers from the soldiers below. The Kalosian flag was torn down, drifting softly in wind before being set on fire by an Arcanine earning the loudest cheer of all from the proud soldiers of Kanto.

The take – over was complete.

'Barbarians…' whispered Serena angrily.

'I knew it was bad but… I never knew it was _this_ bad' cried Grace, whose eyes leaked fresh tears. Serena turned to her slowly, a confused expression on her face.

'Wait, you knew about this?!' yelled Serena standing up in outrage. Grace realized her mistake and turned to her daughter speechless.

'Well, Serena, I knew but… I didn't want to hurt you sweetie' she sniffled trying to take Serena's hand. Serena swatted her hand away like it was infected.

'Don't touch me! You knew what happened to Lumiose the second it happened but you couldn't be bothered to tell your own daughter? How could you?!' she yelled accusingly tears welling up in her eyes. Serena brushed past Clemont and Bonnie and ran up the stairs slamming her door behind her.

'Serena!' called Grace desperately after her daughter, but to no avail. Bonnie and Clemont exchanged guilty looks. They had also known about Lumiose and neglected to tell Serena. That that make them responsible too?

'I'm sorry kids' sniffled Grace blowing her nose. She tried her best to put on a watery smile but it was clearly half – hearted. Bonnie ran up to Grace and gave her the biggest hug she could, after all whenever she was sad hugs always made her feel better. Dedenne too, jumped from the bag and hopped on Bonnie's head giving Grace a… relatively smaller hug to say the least, but the noble intention was there. Grace stopped crying for second, only now noticing the little girl hugging her. Despite all that had happened she still managed to smile and happily hugged both Bonnie and dedenne.

'You did the right thing Ms Grace' said Clemont confidently. 'Just give Serena some time, I'm sure she'll come around'

Grace wiped a tear from her eye and nodded.

'Thanks Clemont, I'm glad you kids are here, it's feels like it's been forever since I had someone who appreciates me'

Clemont frowned deeply. He understood why Serena was upset but to be truthful it really wasn't her mothers' fault. There was something more going on here, that Clemont was not aware of, but he wouldn't pry, Grace had already been verbally attacked today.

'Well, I'm going to go get dinner started' said Grace shakily, regaining her composure. 'You kids can watch TV if you want. I'm not sure if there's anything on but… you can give it try' she added as an afterthought on her way to the kitchen.

'Poor Ms Grace' said Bonnie sadly as Grace left the room. Clemont sighed deeply and put his hand on Bonnie's shoulder.

'I'm sure that they'll be fine Bonnie, they just need some time' explained Clemont. Dedenne agreed nudging Bonnie's cheek which put a smile on the little girls' face.

'Alright Clemont, if you say so' she replied cheerfully. Clemont smiled and picked up her and spun her around before plopping her on the couch. Bonnie's childish laughter echoed around the entire house earning a smile from Grace in the kitchen who was chopping carrots and even one from Serena who was bitterly scribbling over her map.

'Now, started Clemont adjusting his glasses, let's see what's on TV'

Bonnie and dedenne clapped their approval. TV would definitely take their minds of the debilitating effects of todays' events.

 ** _Meanwhile_**

Saffron City, capital of Kanto. The seat of power in a state whose aims of dominating the continent seemed to be coming to fruition. The city operated much like any in the Pokémon world but unlike the lifelessness of the now obsolete Johto and Kalos, this city was bustling with life. Here, the people were relatively unaffected by the war, for the obvious reason that they were winning.

But today was different, along the streets banners had been raised and Kantonian flags hoisted above every building. Thousands of people from all around Kanto had gathered along the main street leading to the Parliament building (Made up of course) to welcome the heroes of the Kaloian Campaign, Generals Red and Lance. The two were expected back in Kanto after a comparatively swift victory in Kalos. Although the Kantonian people were adamant to go to war with Johto, they were more apprehensive of engaging in a struggle with Kalos and Hoenn who had subsequently declared war on them the day following the initial invasion.

But now it didn't matter. Kalos was defeated and there was no major power on the continent that could oppose them. Now only Hoenn was opposing their nation and they expected a swift victory there as well.

Along the main road the atmosphere was electric. The people had contained their energy and excitement for the big moment when their heroes entered the city. It was an explosion waiting to happen and all it needed was a spark. Children had gathered at the front of the crowd with their flags hoping to get a glimpse of their idols, some even had posters of Red and Lance which they hoped would get signed.

Then from the north entrance to the city the fire was lit.

Excited yelling and cheering could be heard attracting the attention of everyone further down the street. A convoy of government cars pulled in to the city driving slowly enough so everyone could properly observe the passengers. In the first two cars sat the Generals who fortunately had managed to arrive in separate vehicles. Upon seeing them the crowd went wild, cheering and waving their flags. The noise was deafening but the generals soaked it all up. Both of them stood up in their cars and waved. Children stared in awe at these mighty men hoping to grow up to be like them someday.

'Good for you sir, you deserve this' yelled Red's driver over the ecstatic cheering of the crowd. Red flashed a toothy grin in thanks and continued to wave. People were crying in happiness realizing that any premonition they had about going to war with Kalos was now rendered null and void.

This war was all but won.

The cars drove in front of the Parliament, although just outside the gates the thousands that had cheered them in the streets were clamouring to see their saviours again. Guards rushed over to support the gate which was straining under the pressure of so many excited people. Two guards opened the doors of the cars to let Red and Lance out. Once the people saw them their joyous celebrating increased tenfold, their hands reaching through the metal bars wanting to touch these Gods among men who had achieved what many had considered to be impossible. The two made their way up to balcony to allow everyone to get a proper look.

'Look at what you done for your people Red, doesn't this make every hour we fought worth it?' asked Lance optimistically as the pair of them walked towards the doors that opened to reveal the balcony.

Red gave him a hard look.

'I only did what was needed for my country and for my leader but you… what you did in Lumiose was unnecessary and was an affront to every value we hold sacred. In wartime there is a still a code of honour we abide by and you broke it Lance'

Lance looked at his superior with contempt. He was young, younger than he was. Lance had always been jealous of Red's position. It was one he coveted greatly and for it to go someone so young and inexperienced… now that he considered an affront to Kantonian values.

'I did what I had to Red. In war there is no such thing as unnecessary, everything I did was for the glory of Kanto. Everything else comes second' he said with a tone of finality pushing past him, not caring to hear his response.

Red stopped and narrowed his eyes. This war had negatively affected Lance for sure. He used to be a man of honour and now… well now it seemed that all he wanted was power.

The doors opened to the deafening cries and cheers of the people who were almost hopping up and down with excitement. Lance and Red smiled and waved like they always did in public despite their conflict with each other. No matter what the reality was the Kantonian people were never to know of any internal political problems in their country. That was of the upmost importance.

 ** _Meanwhile_**

'Mom, look! Red's on TV!' yelled the excited twenty – one year old. An overjoyed Delia Ketchum rushed into the living room to see her eldest son's victorious return home. Ash Ketchum sat on the couch with his faithful Pikachu staring at the TV with a big grin on his face. Both watched Red on the screen wave and smile at the adoring crowd who were screaming his name.

'That's my Red, oh and doesn't he look so handsome in his uniform' Delia stated proudly. Ash rolled his eyes at his mother's affection.

'Say mom, why don't I ever get fawned over like Red does?' asked Ash sarcastically. Delia mistakenly confused his sarcasm with an actual query and looked over at him guiltily.

'Sorry honey, but don't worry, tomorrow you will become an officer and then I'm sure I won't be the only woman doting over you' she said with a wink. Ash blushed deep red. He hadn't expected any answer let alone such a brash one.

'Pika pika' agreed Pikachu.

'Shut up Pikachu' said Ash playfully to the electric mouse. Delia laughed at their antics.

'But seriously sweetie, I want you to know that I'm proud of you and I know your father will be too' said Delia taking Ash's hand.

At the mention of his father, Ash's expression went from jovial to serious. He desperately wanted to impress his father. But it was easier said than done.

 _'Especially when your father is leader of the nation_ ' thought Ash.

Indeed Ash's and Red's father, Giovanni, was supreme leader of Kanto. He had come into power several years ago with his Rocket Party. They quickly assumed complete and total control over the state but the citizens of Kanto didn't seem to mind. They desperately wanted order and stability after the chaos of the last decade. Giovanni had provided that along with a revival of the economy that got people working again. Everyone expected Giovanni to keep the people's best interests in mind and he always did. Because of this, people loved his father. Ash was determined to make not only his country proud, but his father as well.

And he knew Red would help him achieve that goal.

 ** _Flashback_**

Two boys, one older than the other, were playing a game of hoist of the flag, a game unique to Kanto, one which Giovanni had endorsed as the perfect game for young children to play to instil in them a sense of pride and nationalism. But there was an ulterior motive to this, as he hoped it would also create a subliminal desire for conquest and victory.

'Too late Red, I'm about to win' yelled Ash excitedly as he ran to the flag pole. Both boys were quite athletic as under Giovanni, health and fitness was emphasised as an important virtue. For a healthy nation to grow, the people had to be healthy.

'Are you sure about that?' asked Red who, being older and faster caught up to Ash with ease, plucking the flag from his smaller brother's grasp and then running away laughing. Ash stood rooted to the spot, unable to comprehend how he could have failed. Tears welled up in his eyes.

'What's the matter Ash too… slow' said Red trailing off at the end as he turned around to see his brother choking up with tears.

'If it's about what I said Ash, I'm sorry' said Red putting his hand on Ash's shoulder. Ash quickly shook his head. It took a moment for Red to catch but now he understood. He sat down on the ground and motioned for Ash to come sit next to him. Ash sat down next to him, wiping his eyes dry.

'Look Ash, I know it's hard sometimes but if you want to win, you've got to really want it and I mean _really_ want it' said Red passionately. Ash looked up at his big brother understanding what he was saying.

'If you want to win, it takes hard work and dedication but it also takes time and patience. Nobody expects you to be good at first, but someday after all that hard work you will show them that you've got what it takes' said Red wrapping his arm around Ash in a brotherly manner. Ash listened to his words carefully.

'But does it really work?' asked Ash, still dubious about this whole hard work thing.

Red looked at Ash incredulously.

'Of course it works, look at dad. Do you think that without hard he would be where he is today, the leader of our people?'

'I guess not' said Ash wiping his nose on his arm.

'So you see Ash, it does work. All you have to do is believe and everything else will fall into place' said Red sagely.

Ash allowed a smile to creep on his face. His brother was really smart.

'And don't worry about a thing because I'll always be there to help you when you need it' said Red patting Ash on the back.

'T- Thanks Red' said Ash who had fully stopped crying. Red gave Ash a toothy grin in response.

'Red?' asked Ash innocently.

'Yes?'

'You said if I really want it, I can do it right?'

'Yes I did'

'Well then…' said Ash eyeing the flag which was on the ground next to Red's unoccupied hand.

'I really want that flag and I'm taking it!' said Ash, speedily grabbing the flag and running to the flag pole. Red was too shocked to respond and by the time he took action, Ash was already attaching the flag to its post.

'I did it! I won!' yelled Ash victoriously. Red stared at Ash with hands on his hands.

 _I thought him well,_ he thought.

'Hear me now Red, today our game, tomorrow Johto and Kalos and all the others right Red?'

Red chuckled at his brother's enthusiasm.

'You will be a champion like no other. All hail Ash' shouted Red doing an over the top bow to Ash whose face was as happy as a child on Christmas morning.

 ** _Present_**

Ash adjusted the last button on his new uniform. He looked at himself in the mirror. He made quite the imposing figure. The only thing he couldn't do anything about was his hair, which stayed constantly messy no matter how hard he tried.

'Alright Pikachu, ready to go?' asked Ash, packing a few last things into a bag. Pikachu who had been taking a nap on Ash's bed stretched and signalled its readiness by crackling its tail with electricity.

'Pika!' it answered determinedly.

Ash allowed Pikachu to lead the way stopping at the door frame to look at his old room one last time.

 _Now everything changes, I am finally a man_

He made one last sweeping gaze across the room before gently closing the door and walking downstairs. Before he could reach the bottom however a white light flashed before him, temporarily blinding him causing to fall down the last few remaining steps. Pikachu just managed to hop out of the way and climbed and top of Ash who could have sworn he saw stars.

Pikachu rolled its eyes. There was only one way to resolve this.

Pikachu used thunderbolt awakening Ash who got up quickly feeling the electricity flow through his body.

'Thanks Pikachu' he said scratching his head. Pikachu gave him a thumbs up.

'Sorry honey' said Delia who stood next to him with a camera.

 _Of course, it had to be mom, who else would use such an old fashioned camera,_ he thought drearily.

'You look so stunningly handsome, I think I might just faint' chided Delia pretending to swoon.

'Mom…' whispered Ash who was as red as a tomato. Delia laughed. 'I'm just teasing dear, now come on, we've all been waiting for you' she said turning to the living room.

 _We've?_ Thought Ash dreading meeting whoever was with his mother.

 _I swear, if it's her gossiping buddies from Viridian City then I'm out of here,_ thought Ash as he entered the living room.

Luckily for Ash there were no ladies waiting for him in the living room. Instead seated on the sofa under a portrait of Giovanni were two men, one older gentlemen and another who looked around Ash's age. Ash recognised the elderly gentleman as Professor Samuel Oak, head of Kanto's science and technology ministry. In addition to that he was Pallet Town's resident Pokémon professor who was responsible for teaching Ash all he knew about pokémon and how to train them. When Prof Oak saw Ash he smiled and stood up to shake his hand.

'My, Ash, look at how much you've grown. It seemed like just yesterday I was teaching you the basics of pokémon training and now you're a soldier' he said shaking Ash's hand.

'I couldn't have done it without you professor' said Ash unashamedly. After all it was true that he couldn't have gotten as good as he did without the knowledgeable man.

'Are you sure about that Ashy boy? Because the way I see it, Gramps here didn't all that good a job' chimed in an overly smug voice. Ash's eyes widened, he would recognise that voice anywhere.

'Gary?' asked a shocked Ash looking over Professor Oak's shoulder at the younger man who was just now getting up from the sofa. When Gary stood up he was slightly taller than Ash and seemed to have grown physically yet he still emitted the same air of boyish overconfidence and cockiness that came with being Gary.

'The one and only' he replied smugly shaking Ash's hand firmly. Gary and Ash had been childhood friends, eternally competing with each other to see who the superior pokémon master was.

'I thought you were studying pokémon behaviour in Sinnoh!' exclaimed Ash still amazed that Gary had made it here.

'You're right Ashy boy I was, but after that Cyrus guy took charge I was outta there. Thought I might come back home for a while, see what Gramps here was up to. But surprise, surprise, when I come back, some guy tells me that we are at war with Kalos _and_ Hoenn. I mean no offense to your old man but he sure knows how to choose em'. Anyway, after standing rooted to the spot for an hour due to indescribable shock I caught the first bus back home and boom, Gary Oak stands before you' he explained theatrically. Both Professor Oak and Delia rolled their eyes after hearing Gary's elaborate explanation.

'But look at you Ashy boy, all dressed up in your big – boy suit, ready to join Red on the battlefield' he teased observing Ash's brand new uniform. Say, how is the big lug anyway?' he asked.

If anyone else had spoken of his brother like that he would have been upset but Gary was Gary and nothing could change that.

'Maybe if you listened to the news once in your life you would know that Red just returned from a victorious campaign in Kalos. They've been taken out of the war' proclaimed Ash replicating Gary's smug voice.

Gary eyes widened in genuine shock and amazement.

'Wow, I never thought he had it in him… well good for him' intoned Gary, who like others who had doubts about this war, felt them fly away upon hearing of Red's victory.

'Geez Gary, you sound surprised. I think you've forgotten that Red can do anything' asserted Ash welling up with fraternal pride.

Gary rolled his eyes. Despite his years away from Kanto, he hadn't forgotten that Ash idolized his older brother. To be honest, Gary also saw Red as role model and when he was young he too wanted to be just like Red. But his time in Sinnoh had changed that. Now he wanted to be a professor of pokémon just like grandfather, maybe with hard work, he could take over his position as head of science and technology when he retired.

 _All in time,_ thought Gary.

'What do you plan to do now that you're here?' asked Ash.

'Oh Ash, always so dense, I'm coming with you of course!' he stated as if it was the most obvious thing in the world. Ash reeled in surprise.

'Garry, you're no soldier. You can't come with me, the front line is no place for civilians'

'Wow Ash, that one hurt right here' he croaked tapping the side of his chest. He let out a fake sniffle for dramatic effect.

'You're heart is on the other side genius. Are you sure your time in Sinnoh helped you to learn _anything_ ' he burst out jokingly.

' _Pokémon_ biology Ash, not human. But as for your complete and utter, rude –

'Get to the point Gary'

'Right… rude, unfriendly rejection of your best friend I am here to inform you that I am going as a pokémon medic'

Ash considered his preposition for a moment. Although he would never say it to his face as it would only serve to inflate his already sizeable ego, Ash knew that Gary was a fantastic pokémon biologist, the best he knew in fact, save for Professor Oak. He would be great to have around, not only could he heal Ash's pokémon but at least he would have somebody he knew to talk to when he was at the front.

'Alright, but we should really get going, the bus for new recruits leaves in ten minutes' said Ash checking his watch.

Gary nodded and the pair walked to front door followed by Delia and Professor Oak. The sun was shining bright outside, hopefully that was a good omen.

'Well Ash, this is goodbye for now' said Delia sadly, turning to her youngest son.

Ash understood what she was feeling. There was indeed the very real possibility that Ash would not come back. He enveloped his mother in a giant hug.

'Don't worry mom, I'll be back before you know it' he reassured.

Delia smiled and let a tear slide down her face.

'I love you Ash and we are all so proud of you' she sighed kissing him on the forehead. Ash had to bend down so she could reach it.

By now the bus had arrived, its destination: Viridian City. The bus honked indignantly but Ash signalled it to wait for a minute. The driver nodded in understanding and laid back in his chair.

'Take care Ash' said Professor Oak saluting him. Ash gladly returned the gesture.

'Alright Ash, let's get moving' said Gary picking up his bag. Ash nodded and the two made their way to the bus.

'Gary!' called Professor Oak.

'Yeah?'

'I'm proud of you Gary, and I know your parents would be too' smiled Professor Oak hugging his grandson.

For once Gary lost all his bravado. 'Thanks Gramps, I'll see you soon. Count on it' he promised giving his grandfather a thumbs up.

The professor nodded in understanding.

Then two adults watched as their children, who just yesterday were drinking from bottles, stepped on to the bus that would take them away from their families and loved ones, all the way to war, to hell.

Ash and Gary waved as the bus pulled away, continuing to yell their farewells until the bus disappeared behind a hill.

'Be safe' whispered Delia who remained waving even when her son was no longer in sight.

But Gary and Red would soon learn, as the old saying goes: _In peace, sons bury their fathers… in war fathers, bury their sons._

 **Well that was intense to say the least. Ash and Gary are on their way to Viridian, Serena is still being bitter in her room, Bonnie and Clemont are watching TV, Grace is making dinner and Lance and Red have just returned after what will now be called the 'Fall of Kalos'. Get it, 'Fall of Kalos' modelled after the… ah you get it, I don't need to tell you. But important note here, this chapter was able to be produced so quickly because I am still on holiday, however because school resumes on Tuesday I will be taking a bit longer than a day or two to produce another chapter. Until next time!**


	3. Enactment

**Hey everyone! I promised I wouldn't be too late so here I am with the next chapter. I don't know if I'm satisfied with this chapter but it is quite late so if you pick up any errors please tell me. Also just a note: I know Pikachu is hardly ever in his pokeball but in this story he is so just remember that. Also I want to make it clear that although you may read about a character from the anime in the story he or she may not necessarily play a major role and may just be making a cameo appearance. So without further ado, enjoy reading this chapter!**

 **Chapter Two: Enactment**

The bus bumped along at a steady pace, rattling on the dirt road that led through Viridian Forest. Outside of the bus numerous species of bug pokémon scuttled or flew out of the way of the heavy vehicle up into the trees. Inside the bus sat the proud sons of Kanto, ready to face their destiny. Ash and Gary sat towards the middle of the bus, pumped and ready for the most intense training of their lives.

'I wonder what it will be like?' inquired Ash, whose mind was running wild with thoughts of barracks and mess halls and pokémon practice arenas; all facilities he was sure would be present at the camp.

Gary shrugged his shoulders. 'How should I know? I've never been there'

Ash rolled his eyes in annoyance. That was Gary for you. But this time he wouldn't let him get off the hook so easily.

'What, you don't have an imagination? Aren't you curious at all about what it will be like?' he asked slowly.

'Oh my sweet naïve Ash, believe me, Gary Oak's imagination is top notch but the thing is, I really don't care what it's like' he stated faking a yawn. He knew his careless attitude would infuriate Ash and that was something that never failed to amuse him. As expected Ash was almost ready to explode at his best friend. How could he not care? Gary almost burst out laughing at Ash's angry expression but restrained himself, lest he give the game away.

 _Ah, Ashy – boy, you would think after the thousandth time that you wouldn't fall for this but hey, I'm not complaining!_

'Come on Gary, you're telling me that you're not even the least beat curious about what our training camp will be like… or at least the training, that ought to interest you!' he half shouted in a scandalized tone. Gary remained unperturbed.

'Meh'

Ash groaned in frustration. Gary could be really annoying at the best of times.

Unfortunately for the prankster, despite his attempt to control himself, slowly but surely a smile began to creep up on Gary's face which continued to widen until it was obvious enough for Ash to notice. Ash face – palmed himself for his stupidity. He had fallen for one of Gary's obvious attempts to rile him up yet again. Gary laughed at Ash's sudden realization.

'Oh Ash, you should have seen your face, you looked like you were going to explode!' he laughed, clutching his aching sides. Ash punched him playfully on the arm.

'Yeah, yeah whatever, have your moment Mr Bigshot' said Ash sarcastically. Gary wiped a small tear from the corner of his eye finally getting his laughter under control.

'Excuse me,' interjected a voice from the seat behind the two boys. Gary and Ash turned around to face a green haired boy with a sketch pad staring at them with an annoyed expression on his face.

'Would you mind keeping it down? I'm trying to concentrate on drawing those beedril' he said pointing his pencil towards the flying bug pokémon just outside the bus.

Gary narrowed his eyes at the sketch artist. 'Tell me er….' He trailed off unaware of the boy's name.

'Tracy, my name is Tracy Sketchit' he stated staring down Gary.

'Yeah whatever, _Tracy, (Girls name, he whispered under his breath)_ do you know who you're talking to?' he boasted pointing between himself and Ash.

Ash was tempted to cuff Gary over the head. If the others knew who he was then he would be bombarded by constant questions about his brother and father and that was something he definitely wanted to avoid. He wanted to make a name for himself not ride on the coattails of his famous brother and he certainly didn't want to be given special treatment because of his fathers' position.

Tracy looked at Gary unimpressed by his posturing but his eyes widened upon resting on Ash, who he hadn't really noticed until now.

'You're… Ash Ketchum' he whispered, gulping nervously. Ash groaned internally. Now that one person knew, by tonight they would all know for sure. Gary looked smugger than ever.

 _'Another victory for Gary Oak'_ he thought triumphantly.

Ash looked at Tracy who for some strange reason was saluting him, his hand quivering in nervously.

'Listen uh… Tracy was it? You really don't need to do that' he reasoned pushing Tracy's arm down slowly.

'But you are Ash Ketchum! Do you know who you brother is? Better still, do you know who your father is?!' he asked exasperatedly.

Ash was afraid of this happening. 'Yes I am well aware of my brilliant family but listen to me carefully. To be honest I'm starting my training today just like you. When we get to the training camp we are equals and I don't want to be treated differently than any other person, I want to prove my own worth' he explained.

Tracy listened closely, his respect for the son of the nation's supreme leader growing more and more with each word he spoke.

Gary looked at Ash with admiration in his eyes. He might be dense but his words could sure as hell inspire people.

 _'I suppose it runs in the family'_ he thought recalling memories of Giovanni giving one of his famous public speeches.

'Of course sir, I mean Ash' he stuttered, stunned by Ash's humility. Ash nodded appreciatively.

'Thanks. You're drawings' are really good by the way, are you thinking of becoming a cartographer?' asked Ash observing Tracy's fantastic sketch of the bug pokémon. Tracy nodded and pulled out a second sketch book from his bag.

'I want my maps to be good enough to be used by the military' he stated proudly showing off the maps he had drawn to Ash and Gary. Ash was amazed by the intricate detail and professionalism of the maps and even Gary was forced to concede that Tracy certainly had talent.

'Wow Tracy, these are really good! And I mean _really_ good!' exclaimed Ash, devouring each map with his eyes, going over every contour line and landmark that had been carefully drawn onto the paper. It really was a work of art.

'Thanks' replied Tracy happily. If the son of Giovanni liked his maps then maybe he just had a chance of getting them publicized in Saffron City.

'Alright boys' yelled the bus driver suddenly from the front of the bus. All three boys snapped their heads forwards, their eyes widening in awe as the beautiful city of Viridian came into view.

'Here we… Viridian City!' cackled the bus driver jovially.

Viridian City was a comfortable blend of modernization and nature, which was to be expected in a city surrounded by the sprawling Viridian Forest. It was the second largest city in Kanto and played host to the headquarters of the Rocket Party.

It was a place of great fun and merriment where once a year, people from all over Kanto would come to celebrate the arrival of spring with the coming of Moltres, Kanto's national pokémon, by decorating the city with arrangements of the flowers that had first appeared at winter's end. Then at night there would be a huge festival swirling with bright colors and the smell of delicious food celebrating the end of the cold and darkness and the return of warmth and life, until finally at midnight, everyone would gather in the city center to witness the return of Moltres, whose brilliant fiery plumage would light up the night sky and amaze all who saw it. And now at last, they had arrived in this cultural hotspot. From the windows of the bus they could see the decorations being put around the city; arrangements of beautiful flowers, festive lights and many figurines of Moltres as well as its counterparts Zapdos and Articuno had been carefully placed so every inch of the city was occupied by some form of decoration.

'Well I see everyone here is excited for spring' commented Tracy, enjoying the festive mood.

'Yeah… too bad we don't get to enjoy it though' sighed Gary slumping back in his seat. Ash grinned.

'Cheer up Gary' said Ash cheerfully patting his disappointed friend on the back. 'I'll tell you what, how about next year, you and I hit the town and celebrate to Kanto's inevitable victory'

Gary smiled, his spirits lifted by his friends optimism. 'Alright Ashy Boy, I'll wait until next year but let's just try and survive the war first alright?' he laughed.

'You bet' promised Ash.

 ** _Meanwhile_**

'Clemont' whispered Bonnie who was shaking her brother awake. It was clear she had just awoken for she was still in her Tyrannatrum pyjamas but despite this she seemed to be full of energy. Clemont on the other hand was not and he groaned tiredly, pulling the covers over his head.

'Come on Clemont, you have to get up now!' complained Bonnie who attempted to remove the covers completely with little success. Clemont being stronger had no trouble keeping the covers over him. Bonnie sat on the floor tired and a little annoyed with her big brother. She looked at dedenne and pouted.

'Dedenne, would you mind?' she asked kindly. Dedenne nodded and hopped of her shoulder. The pokémon squeezed through a gap in the covers and made its way to Clemonts' chest.

'Alright dedenne, thundershock!' cried Bonnie. Clemont was instantly awakened by the jolt of electricity surging through his body. He quickly threw off the covers and jumped of out bed reeling in shock from the electric attack.

'I'm up, I'm up!' he wailed, his body still crackling with electricity.

'Thanks dedenne' said Bonnie. The little electric mouse nodded and jumped back into Bonnie's bag to take yet another nap. Bonnie looked smugly at Clemont, an air of superiority surrounding her.

'Thanks for being so cooperative Clemont' said Bonnie in an overly sweet tone.

'Yeah… cooperatively' Clemont muttered vindictively under his breath. Bonnie pretended not to hear him and continued speaking unhindered.

'Ms Grace wants you down for breakfast, but you better hurry. I think she made pancakes and if you're not there in time there will be nothing left for you!' she exclaimed. She turned and ran down the hall towards the delicious smell wafting from the kitchen.

Clemont groaned inwardly. He was too keen on having another meal with this strange family after their incredibly awkward dinner last night.

He recalled how it all went down. They had all sat at the table eating the delicious vegetable soup that Grace had prepared. It was hot and flavorsome, perfect for the chilly night. All that is, except for Serena, who despite many attempts by Bonnie to persuade her to join them, still refused to come downstairs. The three who remained sat in stone cold silence, quietly sipping their soup. Even Bonnie who was usually extremely talkative was unusually silent. When they were done, they volunteered to wash their own dishes but their offer was graciously turned down by Grace. The blond siblings took this opportunity to sneak up to their room. It had been a _long_ day and they were extremely tired. They crawled under the covers and were asleep before their heads hit the pillow.

Clemont straightened the collar of his pyjamas and dragged himself downstairs, each thud down the stairs ringing in his ears. When he finally reached the bottom of the apparently never ending staircase, Bonnie was already helping herself to a large stack of pancakes, squirting maple syrup all over them. Clemont chuckled at her appearance. From where he was standing it almost looked like a mini Tyrannatrum was devouring the stack of pancakes.

Clemonts' eyes widened in shock. Bonnie wasn't kidding. The little girl was devouring pancake after pancake with even taking a breath much like a Tyrannatrum.

'Hey, Bonnie leave some for me!' Clemont hollered jogging over to the table. Just then Grace walked in carrying another plate heaped with pancakes. When she saw the siblings she laughed heartily.

'Don't worry, I made plenty for everyone' she proclaimed placing the plate before Clemont.

'Thanks Ms Grace' said Clemont licking his lips in eager anticipation of tasting the golden brown delicacy. It couldn't be denied that Grace was a fantastic cook. Clemont squirted maple syrup and melted butter on his pancakes and tore in them. They were light and fluffy yet packed with flavor. He hadn't remembered having such a good breakfast in all of his life. Grace looked at the satisfied siblings hungrily munching away and concluded that she had done a good job with breakfast.

 _If only Serena enjoyed my cooking like that_ ' she thought thinking of her rebellious daughter who had refused to even answer a knock on her door let alone come downstairs.

'Ah' breathed a satisfied Bonnie patting her stomach.

'Someone certainly looks full' commented Grace. Bonnie slowly nodded, her Tyrannatrum pyjama head bobbing along with her.

'And you Clemont?' she asked turning to Clemont who had slumped back in his chair, catching his breath after eating too fast.

'Fantastic Ms Grace, you really are a culinary genius' he complimented burping slightly. Grace beamed at him.

'Thank you dear! Now if only I could Serena to eat something, I'm worried for her. If she doesn't eat she could get sick' she explained concernedly staring into the distance. 'But she won't talk to me…' said Grace sadly.

'I'll take her something to eat' offered Bonnie who had recovered from her fatigued state. Grace looked at the little girl with gratitude in her eyes.

'Thank you dear' she said turning to the kitchen to prepare a tray for Serena. She returned with a tray, bearing a plate of pancakes with maple syrup and a glass of orange juice. Bonnie carefully took the tray and made her way upstairs. Thankfully the tray wasn't too heavy so she was able to knock on Serena's door without putting the tray down.

'What do you want?' echoed a sullen voice from inside the room.

'I've got breakfast' exclaimed Bonnie cheerfully.

'Thanks but no thanks. I'm not hungry' she answered without opening the door.

Bonnie frowned. This was harder than she thought.

'Come on Serena, you need to eat. Besides, it's really yummy, I've got pancakes' she reasoned trying to entice Serena to open the door. From inside her room Serena sighed and reluctantly opened the door revealing a cheerful Bonnie with the tray of food. Serena took one look at Bonnie's cheerful face and knew it would be pointless arguing with her.

'Alright Bonnie, come in' she said in a bored tone. Bonnie entered the room which she noticed was a lot darker when the curtains were drawn. She placed the tray on Serena's desk and casually observed Serena who looked quite tired and depressed, a complete parallel from the spirited girl she had met last night.

'Serena, did you sleep at all last night?' asked Bonnie concernedly upon noticing the dark circles around Serena's eyes.

'Does it matter?' replied Serena stabbing her fork into a pancake. Bonnie wasn't sure if she liked this version of Serena.

'What's the matter with you Serena? I liked you much more last night' stated Bonnie taking a seat on her cold bed. Serena failed to respond for a few moments only continuing to eat her food. After taking a sip of juice she turned around to face Bonnie. Apparently the food had brought back some energy because she looked slightly less tired.

'Don't worry about it Bonnie. I'm fine, I was just tired' she explained wearily although she still managed to smile at the little girl. Bonnie wasn't quite convinced by her explanation but conceded to herself that what Serena needed right now was rest. She was certainly in no state to answer questions.

'Alright, but promise me you'll get some sleep' implored Bonnie standing up. Serena nodded gratefully and turned back to finish her breakfast. Bonnie frowned but did not say anything. She left the room, quietly closing the door behind her.

 _I hope she'll be alright_ ' thought Bonnie as she walked back down the stairs.

 ** _Meanwhile_**

The bus had taken a sharp turn left towards Mt Silver, one of the most gruelingly harsh places in Kanto. This was the mountain that had previously been the dividing line between Kanto and Johto but as Johto had now been completely annexed by Kanto the mountain had also fallen under their control.

'Whoa…' breathed Tracy who stared in awe at the colossal mountain looming above them. Ash and Gary on the other hand were undaunted by the massive structure and instead became more determined than ever to prove themselves worthy … and there was certainly no better place to do that than Mt Ember.

'Hey Ash, didn't Red come here to train a while ago?' asked Gary, recalling Red's strange period of absence a couple of years before he left to study pokémon in Sinnoh. As far as he remembered, Red had come here to train in the hopes of becoming stronger and forging a more powerful bond with his pokémon.

'Yep, that's Red for you' replied Ash staring at the summit that seemingly rose into the heavens.

Suddenly the bus halted to a sudden stop sending everyone head first into the seat in front of them.

'That bus driver's going to be toast when I'm finished with him' muttered Gary spitefully while rubbing his aching head. Ash, who was also rubbing a bump on his head, couldn't agree more.

'Eh… sorry about that folks, she's an old gal' apologized the bus driver who was scratching his head, a sheepish expression on his face.

Gary was about to insult the bus driver's incompetence when suddenly the doors earning total silence from the occupants of the bus. Ash had to crane his neck to see who it was. Onto the bus stepped a tall tanned man with spiky hair and _extremely_ thin eyes, which were more or less slits. He wore a commander's uniform which was neatly ironed and straightened without any creases. On his uniform hung the boulder badge. Ash realized who the man was but did not give him any sign of recognition. The recruits started to whisper among themselves, some in excitement from realizing who he was and others in confusion for the opposite reason.

'Hey Ash, do you think he can see at all?' joked Gary nudging Ash in the ribs.

'Recruits' cut in the man before Ash could retort. The chatter instantly ended and all eyes turned to the stranger.

'My name is Commander Brock and for the next few months I will be guiding you through your journey from everyday civilians to Kanto's finest soldiers. While you are here you are expected to maintain the utmost level of discipline and self – control. Behave and you will find that your experience here can be pleasant. Misbehave or break a rule and you will wish that you were rather a prisoner in the Sinnohian Union than a citizen of Kanto' he warned, satisfied with the panicked looks on the faces of the new recruits.

'Do I make myself clear?' he asked crisply. He frowned deeply when no one responded.

'I said, do I make myself clear?!' he yelled, snapping the men back into attention.

'Yes sir!' they echoed quickly in unison.

'Good, now get out this bus and give me one hundred push – ups!' he yelled. The boys quickly filed out with Ash, Gary and Tracy taking the rear.

'Not you three' he said blocking the exit. The boys exchanged confused looks.

'I need you three to come with me' he said escorting them outside. Before Brock left the bus he turned and flipped a golden coin for the bus driver to catch.

'Thanks Old Man' he said politely. Although it might have sounded disrespectful to strangers that is indeed what the bus driver preferred to be addressed as: Old Man, the old man of Viridian City.

'Not a problem Brock, you just get those young' ins into tip top form and bring home the victory alright' he said while starting the bus.

'Will do sir, will do' he answered as the bus rolled off back towards the city. The three boys were forced once again to exchange confused looks with each other but thought it best not to question their commanding officer's actions.

'Alright boys, this way' he said motioning for the boys to follow him. They followed him to a nearby compound which they guessed acted as a base of operations for the training camp. Inside were numerous maps of Kanto as well of occupied Johto and Kalos. Tracy marveled at the craftsmanship of the maps, imagining what it would be like for his maps to go up there someday. Gary and Ash were not as engrossed by the maps as Tracy instead noticing the numerous poke balls lining the shelves of the compound.

Brock took a seat at his desk which was covered with papers and files that he had been going through before the bus had arrived. In addition to that was a lamp which stood next to a framed picture containing Brock and a host of other individuals which they guessed must be his family.

Only Ash however noticed the three files positioned exactly in front of where Brock was sitting. Each of the files, which were marked confidential were labelled with their full names. Ash assumed that they must have been their government issued information files, which were introduced by Giovanni as a method of keeping control over the people.

'So' began Brock, carefully observing the three confused boys.

'Do you three know why you are here and not doing push – ups with the rest of your peers outside?' he asked casually. All three shook their heads, preferring not to speak.

'Well then I won't keep you in the dark. You see boys, each of you have specialized skills that our Supreme Leader thinks can be put to good use' he explained. For the third time that day the boys exchanged confused looks with each other. Brock rolled his eyes at their confusion.

 _Arceus help us_

'You, Mr Tracy Sketchit, have proven yourself to be a master cartographer. You come highly recommended by Giovanni University' he complimented looking at Tracy.

'T – Thank you sir' mumbled Tracy nervously.

'And you, Gary Oak. Well, we all know who your grandfather is and he believes that there is no better pokémon biologist in the world than you' he stated calmly.

Gary puffed out his chest with pride.

'Gramps thought me everyone I know but of course I couldn't have made his work look any better without having the raw natural talent first' he stated brashly.

'Yeah, I'll bet' said Brock sarcastically before turning to Ash.

'And you Mr Ketchum… well, you know as well as anyone of what your father and older brother have achieved. But your file tells me that you are also a master of stealth and reconnaissance, strange I must admit but useful all the same. We are expecting big things from you Ash'

'I won't let you down sir' exclaimed Ash confidently. Brock genuinely smiled at Ash's enthusiasm, it reminded him of Red when he was here.

'That's the spirit Ash. Now that you understand, I need you to listen extremely carefully' he whispered. He marched over to the door and made sure it was secure before returning to his seat.

'Because of your skills you three are going to skip basic training. You are all being sent off on special missions where your skills can be applied to good use' he explained slowly, making sure every word was understood.

'Gary and Tracy, you two will be going undercover to the Sinnohian Union. Once there, Tracy, you will be required to map as much of the country as you can. I know it is a particularly large country but we are only asking you to get a layout of the land. For some reason we seem to be lacking any proper maps of Sinnoh. Are you up to the task?' he inquired of Tracy.

'Of course sir' affirmed the young map maker.

'As for you Mr Oak, we understand that you have experience with the Sinnohian pokémon. Well we want you to go back and document the entire Sinnoh pokedex excluding mythical pokémon of course. What we are really looking for are their strengths and weaknesses, do you accept this mission?' he asked seriously.

'I'll do whatever it takes' he answered. Brock frowned.

'Sir' he added quickly appeasing Brock.

'And what about me sir, what is my mission?' asked Ash, hoping that this would his chance to truly prove himself.

'Ash, you are to travel to occupied Kalos where you will help local authorities crush a rising insurgency in one of the main strategic towns under our control. We need you to integrate into the town, find out whose leading this resistance movement and crush them. Do you understand?' he asked straightening the papers on his desk.

'Yes sir, I will not fail' he assured to both Brock and himself.

 _Alright Ketchum, this is it. This is your chance to prove yourself._

'Excellent, we are placing you in the household of one of the local collaborators where we feel would be a good place to gain information from'

Ash nodded in understanding.

'Each of your missions will last for one month and will commence tonight. We are taking no chances here boys' he said standing up.

'Um sir, forgive me for asking but, although I understand Ash's mission, I don't quite understand the necessity of ours' pondered Tracy, puzzled by their odd mission.

'Sorry boys but that's on a need to know basis' said Brock knowingly without showing a trace of emotion.

'You are to report back here with your things at 19:00 hours. But for now you are dismissed' he added while opening the door for them. The boys saluted and leaved in single file formation.

Ash's mind was abuzz with excitement and anticipation, so much so that he didn't even notice the concerned whispers of Gary and Tracy as they contemplated a reason for their _unique_ mission.

 _I'm ready, I'm gonna be the very best, like no one ever was!_

 ** _Meanwhile_**

A few hundred miles of the coast of occupied Kalos lay the island nation of Hoenn, whose people much like Kalos before them were fearing an invasion from Kanto.

In one particular household in Petalburg City the television blared at full volume enrapturing the family of four sitting in front of it. On the couch sat Norman with his arms crossed, a grim expression plastered on his face along with his wife Caroline who looked extremely worried with her hands covering her mouth. On the next sofa sat their daughter May who looked on with shock and seated on the floor was her little brother Max who looked almost as grim as his father. They had just turned on the TV to listen to the announcement being made about the Kalosian surrender.

'Breaking news from the continent. We have just received word that Kalos has signed an official document detailing their surrender to the Kantonian High Command. Earlier yesterday in the ruins of the devastated capital of Lumiose, General Lance made the announcement that Kalos had subsequently surrendered'

The family gasped in horror as they watched the footage of the Kantonian flag being placed atop Lumiose Tower.

'Prime Minister Stone has urged all citizens to remain calm in these troubling times. He has declared for all citizens to buckle down for a long war' she stated. A video of Hoenn Prime Minister Steven Stone appeared. He took looked grim and tired as well, most likely from the stress of handling the events of the last few days.

'We have received an ultimatum from Kantonian Supreme Leader, Giovanni stating that unless we submit to unconditional surrender our cities will be burnt to the ground' he said slowly as if every word in the sentence was doing him physical harm.

'We will never surrender to those barbarians' declared Norman loudly. His family felt his determination and resolved themselves to stay strong as well.

'We are facing troubling times my friends. Not since the Great War twenty two years ago has Hoenn faced such danger. But I stand before all of you to remind you that we beat the Kantonians once, and we can do it again!' he stated proudly. 'We shall never surrender!' he openly declared, insinuating a direct challenge to Kanto.

All around Hoenn families cheered at home and in the streets and from his office in Saffron City, Giovanni also listened with great interest.

 _Very well then, they have brought this upon themselves. I absolve myself of the destruction that is about to befall Hoenn… I am guiltless'_ he thought before turning the television off to continue reading his novel.

'We won't lose!' yelled Max confidently. 'Right dad?' he asked determinedly turning to his father.

'That's right son, we'll give those Kantonians what for!' he cried just as enthusiastically. Caroline and May exchanged amused looks with each other.

They truly had no idea what was coming.

 ** _Meanwhile_**

By 18:45 hours the boys were packed and ready to go, eagerly awaiting their departure. At precisely 19:00 hours sharp, Brock appeared from the compound. He looked to see if they were prepared. Satisfied, he nodded and asked them to enter.

'Alright boys, this is it. Gary and Tracy, you two will be posing as tourists so we have cleared your passports and given you enough currency to suffice for at least two months in case of an emergency. You will be transported to the border where you will board a ferry to the Sinnohian Battle Frontier before taking another ferry to the mainland. Any details you need to be reminded of and all communication equipment is in this suitcase' he stated handing Gary a black suitcase. It wasn't very heavy but the technology inside would ensure that a secure communications line was always present and that was all that mattered.

'As for you Ash, you will be driven to the outskirts of the Kalosian town in secret. Once there two guards will pretend to apprehend you and will then 'escort' you to the residence where you will be staying. You know your mission from there. Unfortunately, because you may be surrounded by hostile company we will not be giving you any communication equipment. Any messages you wish to send will be transferred through one of the elite guards protecting the house' he explained.

'I hope you all understand the importance of your respective missions' boys. The future of Kanto is rests on your shoulders. From now on you are no longer children, you are soldiers' he stressed.

The three young soldiers saluted and marched out of the room where two black cars were waiting for them.

'Well I guess this is goodbye for now' mentioned Ash. Tracy and Gary only now seemed to realize that Ash wasn't coming with them.

'Well Ashy Boy, I wish you the best of luck. Don't get yourself killed out there alright?' he said giving Ash a brotherly hug.

'Ha, I think it is I who should be worried about you. Don't run your mouth in Sinnoh Gary, you know what happens to smart asses there' Ash teased before turning to Tracy. Gary smirked at his friends' comeback.

'Well Tracy it was nice meeting you, I'm sure we'll meet again soon. I wish you all the best of luck' smiled Ash, shaking Tracy's hand.

'Thanks Ash, I hope you succeed as well' added Tracy. Ash smiled one last time at the pair before entering his car which drove off immediately. Gary and Tracy waved as the black vehicle dissipated into the night.

'Well we better get going as well' intoned Gary. Tracy nodded and the two entered their car which sped off in the opposite direction.

'Arceus speed men, Arceus speed' muttered Brock as he heard the cars leave.

 ** _Meanwhile_**

Serena awoke from her slumber feeling much better after her long rest. Her anger had evaporated into thin air and she felt a general mood of well – being. But along with this uplifting feeling, she also felt quite guilty. She remembered how she had treated her mother the previous night and this made her feel ashamed of herself. It wasn't her mother's fault that she was rebellious.

 _I should really apologize to her_ ' she thought.

She looked at the time and assumed that her mother would still be awake. After all it wasn't that late and her she knew her mother to be quite the night nocturne. She slowly opened her door which opened into the brightly lit corridor and then silently made her way downstairs. Her mother was clearing the dinner table. Clemont and Bonnie were absent so she assumed that they must have turned in for the night.

'Mom' Serena whispered. Grace spun around in surprise.

'Serena, honey, what's wrong' asked Grace concernedly upon seeing her daughter's guilty expression which she mistook for illness. She ran up to her daughter and felt her forehead before wrapping her in a big hug.

Serena almost pushed her away out of shame. She didn't deserve this, not after the way she had treated her only mother.

'Mom I'm sorry' she sobbed into Grace's shoulder. Grace was startled by her actions but understood completely.

'Shhh, it's alright sweetie, I should've known how you would feel. I'm sorry too' she admitted, allowing a tear to roll down her cheek.

'Can you ever forgive me mom?' asked Serena desperately.

'Of course honey, you're my daughter. Nothing will ever stop me from loving you' soothed Grace who was just happy that her daughter was talking to her again.

Just then the doorbell rang for the second time in two days. Grace was tempted to ignore it but she knew that if there were Kantonians at the door then the consequences of ignoring their authority would be… severe to say the least.

She opened the door to see the two soldiers that normally guarded her house holding a young man by both of his arms.

'What is the meaning of this?!' barked Grace.

'You've got another refugee from Lumiose. Make sure he's taken good care of' warned the soldier.

Grace took one look at the young man struggling in the soldiers' grasp and was overwhelmed with pity.

'Of course, please sweetie come in' she gestured, herding the young man inside the house. She gave the soldiers a hard look before slamming the door in their face. The soldiers snickered before marching back to their posts.

Serena watched as the young man entered the house with interest. He was handsome, there was no doubt about that but there was also an air of mystery surrounding him which intrigued the young women. He gave her a toothy smile causing her to blush furiously.

 _Get a hold of yourself, you don't even know him'_ she thought angrily to herself. Nevertheless, it wouldn't hurt to say hello.

'Hi, I'm Serena. It's nice to meet you' she said shaking his hand. 'What's your name?' she inquired of the handsome stranger. He grinned again showing off his sparkling white teeth causing Serena's' heart to flutter.

'Hi my name is Ash, Ash Ketchum'

 **Chapter done! Ash has finally met Serena and what do you know, she already has a soft spot for him. How will develop in the future. And why are Gary and Tracy going undercover in Sinnoh? If you think you know why, then don't hesitate to shout out your guess. Also, if you know anything about history I think it is pretty clear about what period of time this story is modeled on. If you think you know that it as well then give it a go. But that is all for now. Until next time!**


	4. So Be It

**Wow it's good to be back! I know it's been a little while but you won't believe (Or maybe you will) how much school has kept me tied down. It has been one assignment after essay after test and this has all been unusually at the same time which puts more pressure on me. But don't worry, I'm here now and I brought a new chapter with me.**

 **Chapter Three: So Be It**

'Tracy, are you done yet?' hollered Gary over the sound of the snowstorm that had been raging over the last two days.

'Just a minute, I still need to collect a sample' answered Tracy. The young cartographer wiped the sleet of his goggles and went back to collecting a sample of earth which he hoped he could analyse to send back to Kanto for further study. However this was easier said than done when considering that said earth was trapped underneath what seemed like a meter of snow. Nonetheless he finally managed to extract a sample of soil from the snow covered ground. After he was done collecting the sample he ran back to cabin that he and Gary were staying at, quickly shutting the door behind him to avoid letting any of the cold air in. Inside it was much warmer and fireplace burned brightly, creating an atmosphere of warmth and coziness. Gary sat at his desk going over his charts on the native pokémon species he had observed for what seemed like the thousandth time but you really couldn't blame him, there was little else to do in this place.

'Good Arceus it's cold out there' shivered Tracy placing the sample he had collected on his own desk. Gary looked up from his research only just seeming to register that Tracy had entered the cabin.

'Really I had _no_ idea' jeered Gary, rolling his eyes. 'You sir definitely have a firm grasp of the obvious' he stated mockingly.

'Oh come on Gary, no need to be like that. I know it's kind of boring in here but that doesn't mean we have to be at each other's throat' implored Tracy as he hung his jacket near the fireplace.

'Yeah I know, but come on, we've been here in Sinnoh for almost three days now and nothing exciting has happened, no fights, no undercover espionage missions, no hot girls…' wailed Gary leaning back exhaustedly into his chair.

Now it was Tracy's turn to roll his eyes.

'What kind of mission do you think this is Gary? We are just here to assess the conditions in the Sinnohian Union and that's that. No fights, no undercover espionage missions and definitely no hot girls!' said Tracy exasperatedly. Sometimes Gary's outlandish behavior could be a bit much even for someone as calm as Tracy.

Gary pouted but declined to respond.

'Just think Gary, in less than a month, we'll be back home in Kanto, recognized as heroes for all to see' he said looking at Gary who still seemed less than excited. Suddenly an idea came to his mind.

'And… I hear the ladies love heroes, especially ones who have been on dangerous adventures' he added slyly. Gary's ears pricked up immediately as he looked up at Tracy, a smug expression plastered on his face.

'Yeah, I guess you're right Tracy. The ladies do love a man of action and no man is more pure badass action than Gary Oak!' he stated proudly regaining his old vigor.

 _Too easy_ , thought Tracy marveling at how anyone could be so full of themselves without exploding.

'Anyway Gary, it's important to remember that we still have a job to do while we are here' said Tracy. So tell me, how many pokémon have you recorded in the pokedex so far?' he inquired looking over Gary's charts.

Gary immediately ceased his showing off and switched to his serious pokémon professor mode.

'Well I've recorded quite a few new pokémon species from the time we were transported here to this point and I've got to say, some of these species look quite formidable' he explained knowledgeably.

'I mean look at this one' implored Gary showing Tracy an entry of one of the pokémon he had recorded while they were exploring Mt. Coronet. Tracy observed the deadly looking pokémon and gulped in fear.

'That things a pokémon!' he exclaimed in disbelief. Gary nodded. 'Indeed it is, I believe here they call it a _Garchomp_ ' he explained. 'According to the pokedex it can reach speeds in the air overtaking that of modern day jet planes, and did I even mention that it is a dragon type?' he asked unaware that each word was causing Tracy to become more and more petrified.

'No, it must have slipped your mind' said Tracy coldly.

'Don't worry about it Tracy' laughed Gary upon noticing Tracy's white face. 'The chances of running into one here are remote, remember, dragon types hate ice' he assured. That thought eased Tracy's mind.

'Yeah, I guess you right, no reason to be afraid here' he laughed, although the lingering fear of running into one even if the chances were remote, was enough to cause him mild discomfort.

'Although… I hear that Sinnoh's top General Cynthia has a Garchomp… I've heard that she controls the beast like no other, I certainly hope we don't run into them up here' said Gary mischievously. Tracy groaned and let his head fall onto the table with a loud thud.

'Why did you have to tell me that?'

'What? Sorry I can't hear you through the wood' shouted Gary as if he had impaired hearing.

'I said why did you have to tell me that!' said Tracy irritably, raising his head to make sure Gary would get the message.

'I'm just kidding, I heard you the first time' laughed Gary. Tracy slapped his forehead, afraid that anymore exposure to Gary's practical jokes would cause him to go insane.

'Why me' he muttered under his breath. 'Come Tracy lighten up' joked Gary jovially, patting the exasperated cartographer on the back. Tracy uttered a few angry curses before turning back to Gary with a forced smile on his face.

'Fine, but no more talk of vicious pokémon and their arguably more vicious masters' pleaded Tracy.

'Alright buddy, but I hear that Cynthia is one good looking woman. I swear, if I was ten years older –

'If you were ten years older she still wouldn't take someone as immature as you' interjected Tracy.

'Let me dream will ya' laughed Gary. Tracy sighed in defeat and walked over to his table to check on the results he had collected earlier, unwilling to get into another argument with the rowdy pokémon professor. Gary grinned triumphantly. This is what it was all about: Winning!

'Anyway' intoned Tracy, putting an end to Gary's gloating, 'I've collected some samples of the earth outside to send back to the Meteorological Center in Kanto. I should be good enough for them to analyse I think' he explained, squinting closely at the test tubes containing the samples.

Gary yawned boorishly. 'Yeah… that's great Tracy. But er, one question: How do you plan to get anything back to Kanto in the middle of this storm?' he asked with raised eyebrows.

'We won't need to worry about that for much longer. According to my calculations, the storm should cease sometime later this afternoon' said Tracy jotting down his observations.

'Oh, so you're a cartographer and a weatherman? Geez, Tracy, I wonder why they didn't give you a more important mission' said Gary in an overly sarcastic tone.

'I could ask you the same question Gary, after all, the grandsons of the worlds' premiere pokémon researcher out here in the middle of nowhere with little old me? Yeah, you must be really important' he retorted.

Gary stood with his mouth wide open, completely dumbstruck.

 _Was I just owned?_

As if he could read his mind, Tracy promptly added: 'Oh and Gary, _that's_ how you own someone'

If Gary was dumbstruck before, it was nothing compared to how he felt now. Tracy wheeled around in his chair to see Gary's hilarious expression.

'What's the matter Gary? I'm not Ash by any stretch, you won't find me so easy to insult' he said knowingly.

'Bu- but'

'Don't try too hard Gary, we wouldn't want that fantastic brain of yours to overload now we would'

'Yeah, whatever' muttered Gary who felt thoroughly humiliated, not to mention outclassed, by Tracy's zinger. Tracy laughed so hard, tears began to form at the corners of his eyes. Gary felt majorly embarrassed at first but soon realized that if he couldn't laugh at himself than he definitely couldn't laugh at others and broke out in laughter a few seconds later.

'Alright Gary, but in all seriousness I don't think we're getting enough done here. It's already been three days and we have hardly accomplished anything' complained the green haired youth.

'Well I think, and here me out on this, I think I've got an idea' said Gary hesitantly waiting for Tracy's reaction. Tracy regarded him with the tiniest amount of suspicion and with good reason. Any plan that Gary seemed to come up with was either ridiculous or ended in injury for those involved… mainly him. Still, he would listen to Gary's proposal although he didn't expect anything ingenious to come from his big mouth.

'Go on' said Tracy encouragingly although he was mentally preparing himself to shut down another one of Gary's outlandish ideas.

'Well I've been doing some reading lately and apparently there is this massive library in a place called Canalave City that has tons of information collected from all over the world. From what I remember from my last visit here, it is the largest collection of information in the entire Sinnohian Union, maybe even the world. I don't think it would hurt to pay a visit' he said confidently.

'Well I'm sorry Gary but that plan is too – wait what?' said Tracy unsure if he had heard Gary correctly.

'I said we should go to Canalave City and find some information there, come Tracy, keep up with me' said Gary exasperatedly.

'Wow Gary, that's actually a good idea' said Tracy in astonishment. 'Thanks, I thought you'd like it – wait… what do you mean _actually?_ What idea of mine has been a good idea? All my ideas are pure gold!' exclaimed Gary proudly, puffing his chest out in pride.

'Yeah… _pure gold_ , anyway, what I'm trying to say is that I completely agree with your idea' said Tracy who really wasn't interested in feedings Gary's massive ego right now.

Gary beamed. 'Fantastic, so we can leave as soon as this storm lets up' he said looking out the window at the seemingly unending snowstorm.

'Sounds like a plan Gary… by the way, there's something I've been wanting to ask you' said Tracy looking at Gary seriously. By the way Tracy asked the question it was obvious that whatever he wanted to talk about was serious. Realizing this, Gary's jovial expression transformed into a serious one and he gave Tracy his undivided attention.

'Why do you think they wanted us here in the first place?' he asked seriously. Gary took a deep breath and contemplated Tracy's peculiar question. It was true that the only explanation Brock had given as to the purpose of their mission was to get information and not surprisingly that vague explanation led to a whole host of other questions that had yet to be answered.

 _Why do we need to collect information on the Sinnohian Union?_

'I have to admit, even I don't know' answered Gary crossing his arms. 'It's strange, we were asked to get information about this place yet we have no idea why…'

Tracy nodded in agreement. 'I know right! I don't actually understand why we are here. Not to mention that the information they wanted us to collect was pretty specific. I mean, they asked me to map the country and they asked you to collect information on the pokémon living here'

'Don't forget that Brock specifically asked for the strengths and weaknesses of the Sinnohian pokémon' added Gary as an afterthought. 'That's important to remember'.

'When we send the data we have collected so far back to Kanto, should we attach a note asking for the reasoning behind our mission?' inquired Tracy, who believed he might be putting more thought into this than was necessary.

'And who will answer? Giovanni? I don't think so. For now we should just get the job done and get back home' answered Gary in a rather brusque manner. Unlike Tracy and even Ash for that matter, Gary didn't have complete confidence in Giovanni's government. In fact, he didn't even approve of Kanto's wars against Johto, Kalos and Hoenn, to him it all seemed like Kanto was heading down a road from which it would not be able to turn its back on and this deeply troubled the young Oak.

Tracy didn't take offence to Gary's tone in the slightest, in fact he approved of Gary's answer. If his government hadn't told them when they had the chance then there was no reason to think that they would let them in on whatever they were planning now. He just hoped for Kanto's sake that it was not going to turn around and bite them.

'Yeah, I guess you're right' said Tracy quietly.

…

'Anyway…' began Gary, attempting to ease the tension in the room, 'you said the storm should be letting up later this afternoon so I guess we should probably start packing' he said in a much softer tone. Tracy nodded in agreement. 'Alright, but what about the guy who lives here, he was very kind to give us shelter from the storm, maybe there's something we can give him'

'I've already taken care of that, I left him some money in his room, enough to buy him supplies to last out here for a year' said Gary.

Tracy smiled at Gary's generous gesture.

'That's great Gary, now once the storm let's up we're going to have to go to Snowpoint City. Once there we can catch a boat to Iron Island and take a transit ferry to Canalave' explained Tracy, marking their perceived route on a crude but still semi – accurate map of Sinnoh he had managed to draw.

'I'm impressed Tracy, the map is certainly coming along' complimented Gary, observing the map.

'Thanks, but I'm hoping I can get a better map at Canalave' said Tracy rolling the map up before placing it into his pack. Gary couldn't agree more and left Tracy to his packing but only so he could start on his own packing of course.

'Hey Tracy, how do you think Ash is doing in Kalos' called Gary from his room.

'I don't know, but I'm sure it's more fun than this' replied Tracy drearily, looking at the snowstorm outside with contempt. Gary laughed while he packed his pokedex into his bag. 'I hear that Tracy. I hear that'

 ** _Meanwhile in Kalos_**

Things had been moving so fast in the Yvonne household over the last three days that its occupants were almost unable to keep up with it all. First, Bonnie and Clemont arrive, then Kalos surrenders to Kanto and now a mysterious young man by the name of Ash Ketchum has also been forced under their roof. Yes indeed, things were moving pretty quickly and as the sun rose revealing a new day, one could find a young blond haired man fast asleep in his bed, dreaming about inventing fantastic devices which hopefully wouldn't explode in his face, but of course such things could only be possible in a dream…

'Clemont, wake up' whispered a small voice into the young blonds ear. Clemont eyes snapped open without hesitation. The memories of their first morning still reverberated with him and he wasn't all that keen to repeat them. In other words although he wanted to continue sleeping he had no intention of being electrocuted awake by Dedenne again and so he definitely didn't need to asked twice to awaken.

Coincidentally however, when Clemonts' eyes snapped open the first thing he saw was the little electric mouse staring at him from atop the bedside drawer.

'I'm up Dedenne, no need for any electricity today' he said hurriedly. Suddenly, out of the corner of his eye he noticed something else. Standing next to dedenne was another pokémon that bore a great resemblance to the little fairy type but was bigger, had a different tail and was yellow instead of orange.

'I must be dreaming' said Clemont sleepily. He rubbed his eyes thinking it was just a trick of the light or his imagination but when he looked again the yellow electric mouse was still there smiling at him.

'Pika!' cried the little pokémon in greeting. Clemont smiled awkwardly. 'Er… hi' he said putting his glasses on to get a better look at the strange pokémon. He had never seen it before in Kalos so he assumed it must be foreign.

'What kind of pokémon are you little guy?' he asked inspecting the yellow pokémon.

'It's a Pikachu' chirped a small voice next to him. Clemont almost fell off his bed in surprise, only to find Bonnie in her Tyrannatrum pyjamas staring adoringly at the pokémon who was just revealed to be a Pikachu.

'Bonnie, where did you come from?!' Clemont half – yelled, clutching his heart in shock.

'I've been here the whole time Clemont, get with the program' she giggled. Clemont groaned and placed a pillow over his face in frustration.

'Clemont, you'll never guess what happened!' exclaimed Bonnie excitedly. Clemont rolled his eyes from underneath the pillow so Bonnie wouldn't notice.

 _She probably found a floette in the garden or something,_ he thought to himself.

'A stranger came last night and now he's staying with us!' she announced happily. Clemonts' eyes widened in surprise. He took the pillow off his face and carefully analysed Bonnie's joyful expression to search for any sign of deceit. After a few seconds he had to concede that she was being sincere.

'Who is this stranger?' he asked cautiously.

'His name is Ash and he has a Pikachu and he's from Johto and –

'Bonnie slow down' said Clemont unable to keep up with his little sisters' chatter. 'Tell me again, but this time _slowly_. Now what did you say his name is?'

'Ash, and that Pikachu belongs to him' she said gesturing to the electric mouse who was playing with Dedenne.

'I see… and where did you say he was from?'

'Johto, well at least as far as I know' she said laughing at Pikachu and Dedennes' antics. 'Oh, I know, why don't you come meet him?' she proposed, pulling her brother's arm in an attempt to get him out of bed.

'Alright Bonnie, I'm coming' sighed Clemont who allowed himself to be dragged away by his sister. The two pokémon followed closely behind as Bonnie pulled Clemont past Serena's room and down the stairs.

'Take it easy Bonnie' said Clemont worriedly after he almost fell down the stairs, although no response came from the young girl who was too excited to register her brother's near catastrophe.

 _That's Bonnie for you_ , thought Clemont.

'Alright I know he's here somewhere' said Bonnie when they reached the living room.

'Mr Ash!' she called out to the vacant room.

'I'm in here' responded a deep voice from the kitchen.

Clemont straightened his glasses and brushed any dirt off his night suit before following Bonnie into the kitchen. There stood three people of which two of them he recognized as Grace and Serena. The other person, who was a tall, tan man, Clemont assumed to be Ash.

Ash smiled at them warmly and extended his hand in greeting.

'Hi, I'm Ash Ketchum, it's great to meet you Clemont' he said kindly

'You know my name?' asked Clemont returning the friendly gesture.

'Oh yeah, Bonnie here has been talking non – stop about you all morning' said Ash winking at the little girl causing her to giggle mischievously.

'Really? What kind of things has she been saying?' asked Clemont giving Bonnie a knowing look. The little girl smiled sheepishly at her big brother's hard expression before escaping into the living room much to amusement of everyone present.

'Ah, don't worry Clemont, only good things' said Ash giving Clemont a thumb up. Clemont smiled at the newcomer. It had only been a few minutes since he met Ash but already he could feel that he was a friendly guy.

'Alright boys', I need some help getting all of this onto the table so both of you each grab a plate and march' interjected Grace who took off her cooking apron and placed it on a hook before picking up a platter of fruit and handing it to Clemont.

Clemont slowly turned around and marched out of the kitchen, making sure not to drop anything. In the living room was Bonnie, squealing in delight as she chased Dedenne and Bonnie.

'Breakfast Bonnie' called Clemont, placing the platter on the table. All three troublemakers raised their heads and excitedly rushed to the table.

'Ooo, watermelon!' exclaimed Bonnie at the sight of the fruit platter. 'I thought you'd like it' said Grace entering the room with a tray bearing five glasses filled to the brim with orange juice. Following behind her were Ash and Serena, each of them entering with a tray bearing bowls of delicious homemade porridge with Honey. The smell was enough to cause Bonnie to enter a state of food induced bliss.

'Alright kids, take your seat' said Grace placing a glass of juice on each placemat with an extra one now added for Ash. Everyone quickly took a seat, with Serena making sure she was seated next to Ash, before each taking a hot bowl of porridge and a piece of fruit. Next to the table Dedenne and Pikachu happily munched away at the pokémon food Grace had provided for them.

'So Ash, you're from Johto right?' asked Clemont, tentatively taking a bite of his porridge before realizing that it was extremely hot. He took a swig of juice to cool his burning tongue earning a chorus of laughter from everyone else.

'Sure am' said Ash taking a bite of an apple. 'But your accent doesn't sound very Johtish' commented Serena, blowing on her porridge before eating it, eager to avoid the embarrassing situation that Clemont had found himself in.

Ash was prepared for such a question and had already memorized an adequate response. 'I know, but that's just because most of my education was completed in Unova' he said in a nonchalant tone.

'Unova!' squealed Serena. 'I've always wanted to go there, tell me Ash, what's it like?'

For this question however, Ash was not prepared. Serena looked up at him expectantly, eager to learn all about the great nation across the ocean. Ash laughed nervously and scratched his head. 'Er… it's great. A lot of big buildings and stuff like that' he said quickly, avoiding eye contact with anyone. Serena's eyes sparkled in amazement.

'Wow, that's so cool. Tell me Ash, do they really have an entirely Black City and an entirely White Forest because I think I read about that somewhere and it sounds unbelievably awesome!'

'Yeah, I think I read about that too. Do they actually have those things Ash?' asked Clemont who was also curious about Unova.

'They sure do' said Ash who in truth, had no idea if Unova had any such thing. He just assumed that if they had read about it then it must be true.

'Amazing' said Serena and Clemont in unison. Ash breathed an internal sigh of relief. Maybe he was better at this undercover thing than he thought.

'So Ash, tell us how you got here from Johto' implored Grace taking a sip of her coffee. Ash cleared his throat and began to speak, with everyone's attention (even Bonnie's) focused solely on him.

'Well what can I say? My family and I lived peacefully in Johto for many years. We worked the land in a small town near Goldenrod City, where my father would sell his crops. It was a hard life but it was a good one' he recited flawlessly. Around the table there was complete silence; everyone was too enthralled by Ash's tale to interrupt.

'Then one day, an announcement suddenly came from our leader, informing us that we were at war with Kanto' said Ash, feinting a tone of horror. Everyone else exchanged dark looks, believing Ash's story to be true.

'The next day they invaded. Never before had I seen such a swift advance. Within two weeks they were at the gates of Goldenrod where we had fled to. They bombarded the city every day with their aerial attacks, again and again, relentlessly trying to force us to surrender. But we held out….that is until we were attacked from the other side by the Sinnohian Union' said Ash darkly. Serena placed her hand on Ash's to comfort him earning a small smile from the troubled youth who felt he was doing a great job of pulling at his hosts heartstrings.

'Anyway, with two forces attacking us we didn't stand chance. Johto surrendered the next day and we were split in two. My parents thought our chances would be better on the Kantonian side so we entered the half of Johto that Kanto had annexed, keeping our heads down to avoid being noticed. Unfortunately for us, some of the people we trusted to help us sold us out for a few measly pokedollars' said Ash bitterly, turning his head away in distaste. Clemont patted him on the back, saddened by his heartbreaking tale.

'My parents were sent to Kanto to be used as slave labor no doubt' explained Ash angrily gritting his teeth.

'I was to be sent to a re – education center… I don't even want to imagine what would have happened if I was sent there' said Ash shaking his head in distress.

'How did you escape?' whispered Serena in awe.

'It wasn't easy I'll tell you that. I managed to steal a Kantonian uniform from a base they had set up in Newbark Town and from there I was able to transfer myself here to Kalos thinking I would be safe…but you guys surrendered as well so I guess it was all for nothing' he finished, sighing sadly.

'There's always hope dear. I'm sure you'll see your parents again' said Grace reassuringly, tears welling up in her eyes. Ash gave her a warm smile.

'Thanks Ms Grace. It was really nice of you to take me and Pikachu in despite your own problems' he said graciously. Grace managed a watery smile, wiping away the tears from her eyes.

'I'm just sorry I couldn't do more' she replied tenderly.

'Well I'm just glad I've got some new friends to talk to' said Ash lightening the mood. 'You won't believe how long it has been since I've talked to anyone my own age' he said looking at Serena and Clemont.

'And I'm sure Pikachu is really happy to have some new friends too, aren't you buddy?' he asked the electric mouse.

'Pika!' cried pokémon in agreement.

'And were more than happy to have you here Ash' exclaimed Serena earning a toothy grin from Ash which caused her to blush furiously.

'Serena, is there something wrong? You face is heating up' remarked Grace giving her a knowing look.

'Oh no, nothing at all, the porridge was just hotter than expected' she said quickly trying to avoid her mother's gaze.

'I hear that' said Clemont misinterpreting her expression.

'Maybe you should have some juice Serena; that ought to cool you down' said Bonnie who somehow wore the same knowing expression that Grace did.

Serena happily took their advice drinking the entire glass in one gulp much to the astonishment of everyone else.

'Well then, I'm going get some more juice. Please excuse me' she said hurriedly before rushing to the kitchen. Grace and Bonnie high – fived each other under the table.

'Is she alright?' asked Ash concernedly. 'Oh yes dear she's fine, that _porridge_ must have been too hot to handle' she said winking at Bonnie.

'Oh, OK' said Ash, taking another bite of his apple.

'Oh to be young and in love again' Grace muttered under her breath.

'What was that Ms Grace?' asked Clemont. 'Oh don't mind me dear, I was just thinking out loud' she answered, biting into a pear.

Clemont shrugged his shoulders and thought nothing else of it.

 ** _Meanwhile in Kanto_**

The morning light revealed Kanto's supreme leader, Giovanni sitting at his desk once again going over the battle strategy for the future assault on Hoenn. He had reviewed this plan no less than fifty times this week but he was never completely satisfied. His generals had assured him that there was no better plan and both Red and Lance had supported the idea wholeheartedly. Nevertheless, there was no harm in being sure.

On the rug near the fireplace his faithful Persian dozed peacefully, undisturbed by its masters' concerns and outside, Kantonians would be awakening to another day of war, not that it had affected them all that much anyway but knowing one was at war was a surreal experience nonetheless.

Suddenly a sharp knock on the door brought Giovanni back to earth.

'Enter' called Giovanni, resuming his assessment of the battle plans. Red and Lance entered the room, both of them looking unusually tired and worn out.

'Hail Giovanni' they cried saluting their leader. Giovanni nodded but did not take his eyes of the plans.

'Sir, I have the document of confirmation you requested from the front' said Lance handing the document to Giovanni. The Kantonian leader read the document carefully and then nodded in satisfaction.

'Good, what is the status of your aerial units General?'

'My units are ready to fly sir and are merely awaiting your approval as per your instructions' answered Lance confidently. Giovanni nodded before standing up and walking across the room to observe a map of Hoenn that had been erected in his office which would show the progress of the assault. He looked at the map with great sadness, sighing deeply while doing so.

'Tell me General Red, how much damage would you have to do to force the people of Hoenn to submit' he asked without averting his gaze from the map. Red cleared his throat before answering.

'I can't answer that sir. The people of Hoenn are determined to hold out and will not surrender so willingly' he said slowly.

'You now I just don't understand, I have offered them peace terms on numerous occasions yet they still stubbornly refuse to end this war' complained Giovanni.

'The last thing I wish to do is to bomb Hoenn. You know I have always believed that we are better as allies than as foes' he barked angrily, slamming his fist onto his desk.

'Yes sir, you have expressed that opinion many times' remarked Lance. 'However sir, if I may be so bold as to interject, we should you care? They declared war on us, not the other way around. We have every right to defend ourselves do we not?'

Giovanni shook his head in disagreement. 'War is never a good thing. When we invaded Johto, I had no intention of waging a war of aggression. My goal was to seek justice for those Kantonians being persecuted outside the borders of our empire and furthermore to take back the land which was rightfully ours. I had never anticipated a war with neither Kalos nor Hoenn and suddenly we found ourselves at war with both!' he explained. Red and Lance exchanged concerned looks with each other.

'The people of Kanto had no interest in another war, I knew this. After the Fall of Kalos I thought that Hoenn would surrender peacefully and we could all go back to living our lives as normal. Yet, here we are, on the precipice of another great conflict that I can see no way out of' he said bitterly before resuming his seat.

'Sir, I can assure you, if there was another way I would be the first to tell you because believe me when I say that I do not like the idea of war with Hoenn anymore than you do but unfortunately they are not willing to cooperate with us' reasoned Red. It was true that much like his father he strongly opposed the idea of a war with Hoenn, after all their two people's were so similar, it just didn't make any sense to go to war with each other.

But they were at war with each other and right now, that is all that really mattered.

'Tell me Red, what are the estimated casualties for a single bombing raid on Mauville City' asked Giovanni. He wanted to be sure of the kind of destruction that he would cause if he went ahead with his plans.

Red sighed sadly before answering. 'Around 2100 sir' he answered solemnly.

Giovanni put his hands over his face, horrified by the death and pain he would be responsible for if the plan went ahead. Suddenly the doors burst open, awakening Persian and surprising the others. A women with blue hair and a pearl necklace barged into the room, a horrified expression on her face. Lance recognized the women as his cousin Clair.

'Clair, what is the meaning of this intrusion' he yelled, demanding an explanation.

'Salamence!' she shrieked. The others looked at each other with bewildered expressions.

'Breath Clair breath, now tell me slowly, what is going on?' asked Lance again, gripping his cousins shoulders in an effort to calm her down. Clair took a few deep breaths and managed to gather her wits.

'Hoennish Salamence, they are launching an attack on Saffron sir. There have already been reports of several civilian casualties in the east sector and now a fire has been started in the botanical gardens' she explained almost crying with each word.

Giovanni's eyes narrowed in anger. 'It would appear that whatever reservations I held about bombing their cities have not been reciprocated. They want a dirty war, than by Arceus I shall give them a dirty war!' bellowed Giovanni.

'General Lance, assemble your finest fighters and defend our skies. I don't want to hear of anymore innocent Kantonians dying as a result of our incompetence!'

'Right away sir!' said Lance. The red haired general saluted and rushed out of the room with Clair in close pursuit.

'And as for you my son' he began turning to Red, 'I want you to lead a volunteer effort to put out those fires. Can you do that for me?' he asked desperately. 'Anything father' answered Red who was also brimming with righteous fury. The Hoennish had brought the war to Kanto so it seemed.

 _So be it,_ thought Red as he stormed out of his father's office and out into the streets to collect as many able bodied men as he could to help put out the flames tearing through the lower suburbs.

Overhead, large armored dragon pokémon soared through the sky, unleashing one hyper beam after another in successive waves in order to give one unit a chance to recharge while another wave took their place. Around him, the frightened shrieks of people fleeing the carnage could be heard making Reds' blood boil.

'Cowards!' Red yelled angrily at the approaching wave of Salamence and their riders. One rider heard Red's insult and wheeled around charging at the seemingly defenseless Red.

'Now Charizard!' yelled the young General. In a brilliant flash of light the fire dragon erupted out its pokeball and let out a massive fire blast. The Salamence was moving too fast to stop and couldn't pull away in time. The attack hit the offenders on point sending them crashing to the ground. Once on the ground the local police detained the rider and their pokémon restrained the injured Salamence.

'Nice job General!' shouted one officer to Red, who nodded in appreciation.

'Officers, I require assistance in helping put out the fires in the lower east sector!' he pleaded. Immediately six officers that were not needed to restrain the captured rider joined Red.

'All right, let's go buddy' he whispered into Charizards' ear after mounting him. The great dragon let out a stream of fire and powered into the air closely by the officers in their cars on the ground. The fire raged hot and fierce over lower Saffron, causing Red to choke from smoke inhalation. On the ground several people were already attempting to stop the fire along with their water type pokémon.

Red had Charizard land near where several people were fighting the fire that had spread to a department store, deciding that this was the most likely spot for the fire to spread and therefore the most important to stop first.

'All right, everybody together now!' Red yelled over the sound of crashing floors of the building. Groups of Blastoise and Vaporeon were using their water gun attack in an attempt to stop the fire but Red knew it would take something stronger than that to put out these flames.

'Alright Vaporeon use hydro pump! And you Blastoise, use hydro cannon!' commanded Red directing their water barrage to the building. The pokémon readily obeyed and employed the use of the powerful water moves, effectively putting out the flames.

Both people and pokémon cheered at their great success, including Red but they had time for a short celebration as the flames could still be seen raging up ahead.

'Alright people, there's still work to be done here, let's show those defilers what the spirit of Kanto can accomplish!' yelled Red invigorating the citizens of Saffron. The people cheered and followed as Red flew towards the other fires.

 _We're not out of this yet!_

From his window, Giovanni solemnly watched as the Salamence continued to battle with his own forces, lighting up the sky with fire and energy. At any other time this would have been beautiful to watch but knowing that each strike had the possibility of taking another life saddened the Kantonian leader. But if killing was what was meant to defend his country then kill he would. And much like his son only one thought seemed to possess him: The Hoennish had struck first and in doing so had brought about their own destruction and if that meant their annihilation then so be it.

 _So be it indeed_

 **Intense at the end there don't you think? Does this mean that Giovanni is going to launch his attack on Hoenn after all? Will Tracy and Gary ever figure out why they are collecting information on pokémon in Sinnoh? And as for Ash… will he ever discover how to take down the Kalos Resistance?**

 **Find out next time on…. Wait that's the wrong cartoon. Never mind then. Until next time!**


	5. Out of the Fire and Into the Oven

**Hey everyone, wow it's been a while hasn't it. I'm sorry it's been so long I think somewhere in the ball park of around two months right? Whatever the time I'm still sorry. There's just so much to do lately with exams coming up and my first one is tomorrow so I hope all the hard work I've put in pays off. But I still wanted to get a chapter out before they started so here is chapter four.**

 **Chapter Four: Out of the Fire and Into the Oven**

The low lit stadium resonated with the muffled sounds of thousands of people angrily whispering to each other, all of them frightened and confused. There was an atmosphere of fear and uneasiness and the air crackled with animosity and for good reason. It had been three days since the now infamous attack on Saffron and yet the city still smouldered in some areas, carrying the stench of death and decay with them, a most unpleasant situation indeed. Since then, Hoennish assaults on Kanto had only increased, with wave after wave of Salamence fighters attacking all over the country, destroying many villages and farms. They had only attacked under the cover of darkness however, for reasons yet unknown to the Kantonian people. Nevertheless this made things even more difficult for the terrified citizens of Kanto for they could not see their attackers nor could they predict when or where the next strike would be. This practice of random nocturnal forays into civilian areas had stolen the lives of many innocent people and now the Kantonian populous was truly fed up. In the eyes of every patriotic Kantonian raged a fire of unimaginable intensity; one of pure hatred and contempt for those that had launched their cowardly assault on their homes and families. The time had come to strike back. And now here they were, gathered in the Saffron Sports Plaza to hear their leader's response to this most outrageous of attacks and hopefully achieve some sort of retribution after their tolerance of this most indecent method of warfare.

Suddenly the remaining light in the stadium dimmed, leaving only the stage to be illuminated by a single beam of yellow light. Almost at once the whispers ceased and there was complete and utter silence; every eye was glued to the podium.

From behind a curtain bearing the Kantonian insignia stepped out Giovanni, looking more determined than ever before. The people's eyes followed their leader as he slowly made his way to the podium, the anger practically radiating off him. For those in the front rows who could witness his expression, it was that of a man ready to kill. He stopped at the podium overlooking the packed stadium, seemingly to be drawing energy from the high emotions of his people. His malevolent gaze had ensnared all those present and not one person dared look away. Man, women or child, not one could divert their eyes from the figure that stood before them.

Then he opened his mouth and began to speak in a crisp, clear tone and when he did, his words reached every corner of the stadium, resonating in the hearts and minds of those who heard him.

'Three days ago, an attack was launched on Saffron'

'So be it'.

A few growls and curses were heard in the crowd but were quickly extinguished by Giovanni continuing his speech.

'It is truly beautiful to see our people at war and its total discipline. We realize this all the more in a time when Mr Stone is demonstrating to us the use of his invention: The nightly air raid. He does not do this because air raids at night are particularly effective but because his air force cannot penetrate Kantonian airspace during day! While our Kantonian pilots, our Kantonian pokémon, fly over Hoennish land by day, not one Hoennish pilot has managed to so much as cross the sea by daylight!

That is why they come at night and launch their attacks… you know it well, indiscriminately and on civilian residents, farms and villages… wherever they see a light, they launch on attack! I did not answer for three days because I was of the opinion that they would ultimately stop this nonsense. Mr Stone perceived this as a sign of our weakness! You will surely understand that we are now giving our answers night after night and this at an increasing rate!'

The people clapped vigorously, their cheers of adulation filling the stadium with their overwhelming sound so much so that it took Giovanni longer than he expected to placate the raucous crowd but eventually complete silence was achieved once more, albeit a tense one.

'The hour will come when one of us will break… and it will never be our glorious nation of Kanto!' he declared emphatically.

'NEVER! NEVER! NEVER!' chanted the crowd in a wild frenzy, their fists clenched in righteous anger. Giovanni was forced to wave them down once more but the result satisfied him nonetheless.

'And should the Hoennish Air Force launch 200 or 300 or 400 waves of fighters then we shall launch 500, 800, yes even 1000 waves of fighters in a single night! And should they declare they will greatly increase their attacks on our cities, then we will utterly erase their cities! The Hoennish are filled with curiosity. They keep asking: Why don't they come? Be patient. We _are_ coming… WE ARE COMING!' he yelled passionately, his face a mask of fury.

For the third time that night the crowd roared with approval, yelling out insults towards the Hoennish and denouncing their spineless actions.

'We will put these night time pirates out of business, Arceus help us!' he yelled, finishing his speech. The people gave Giovanni a standing ovation, saluting him and restating their promise to defend their homeland come hell or high water. The noise in the stadium reached a crescendo; so loud was it, that it could be heard in the villages and towns adjacent to the great capital. In the houses of those citizens who could not be present, the clapping could be heard too, for Giovanni's voice echoed from every television and radio across the nation. Whatever reservations the people of Kanto had held before about going to war with Hoenn were long gone.

It was time to finish this once and for all!

 ** _In Kalos_**

Clemont and Bonnie burst into the house, carrying the groceries they had managed to buy before the curfew was enforced. The bags weren't very full because of the severe rationing being imposed on the occupied population but they were certainly enough to occupy both of Clemonts' arms. He placed the groceries on the table while Bonnie quickly slammed the door behind him. Serena, Ash and Grace, rushed into the room, afraid that something was amiss.

'Clemont, what happened?' asked Grace concernedly. Clemont wanted to answer but all that running had tired him out immensely. Bonnie rolled her eyes. 'Geez, big brother, you're so unfit! You really need to get in shape!' she exclaimed exasperatedly. Clemonts' face grew very red, whether from the running or from embarrassment, no one could tell.

'Take a deep breath Clemont' said Ash reassuringly. He patted the tired blond on the back, while Serena went and fetched him a glass of water from the kitchen. Clemont wheezed a few words of thanks and finished the glass in one gulp. When he was done, he took a deep breath and returned to normal.

'Thank guys, I needed that' he said slowly. Everyone apart from Bonnie smiled.

'Come on big bro, tell them the good news' she said impatiently. Everyone looked from Bonnie to Clemont, expecting to hear something monumentally important.

'You won't believe it…' began Clemont in a story like tone. Everyone leaned in closer to hear just what was so unbelievable.

'Saffron has been bombed by Hoenn!' revealed Clemont, a wide grin on his face. Everyone blinked rapidly in absolute astonishment, unsure if what they had just been told could possibly be true.

'Sorry, can you repeat that Clemont' asked Serena slowly, who was under the impression that her ears were deceiving her.

'I said… Saffron was bombed by Hoenn!' he shouted excitedly. The reactions around the room were… _varied_ to say the least. Bonnie clapped in approval and Grace and Serena cheered in jubilation, hugging each other while they did. Ash on the other hand looked morbid. His mind was racing beyond control, making it hard for him to collect his thoughts and think straight.

 _Oh Arceus, not Saffron, but Red... surely he couldn't be…? And my father, oh Arceus forbid my father –_

'Ash?' asked Serena concernedly, breaking him out of his terrifying fantasy and bringing him back into an even more harsh reality.

'Hmm?'

'Are you alright? You look as if you're going to be sick' she said placing her hand on his forehead. 'You're so cold!' What happened?'

By now everyone was staring at Ash, concern etched on their faces. Ash gulped and forced a smile to come to his face, whatever happened, he couldn't blow his cover.

''I'm f - fine, just a bit shocked' he said slowly. The others gave him sympathetic looks. 'I know Ash, it's a bit of shock but don't worry, we got' em good!' stated Clemont, blatantly misinterpreting Ash's reaction.

'Yeah, got em' good' repeated Ash quietly before shakily taking a seat on the couch. It was hard to imagine that less than a week ago he was happily at home in Kanto, the faces of smiling loved ones surrounding him and now… well now he was far away from everything he knew and loved and learning that his home was being attacked without him being able to do anything about it made him nauseous. What would his mother think? Was she among those whose lives had being stolen by Hoenn's aerial assaults? The thought made Ash's blood run cold and he slumped back further into the couch, overcome with anxiety.

How long could he go on without revealing that the very people that his new friends were cursing were in fact his own family? How long until they found out that he was not the man he proclaimed to be? Just how long until he would have to reveal his deceit and what would they think of him for it?

He had to admit, he had not expected liking this home or the people sharing it with him. He had been under the assumption that they would be lesser than him, of a lower class, like his father had described to him, but it was obvious now that this was not the case. These were good honest people, Clemont and Bonnie, Serena and Grace, even little Dedenne; all of them had earned a spot in his heart. The last thing he wanted to do was betray their trust.

He wondered to himself if what he was feeling at this moment was what _they_ were all feeling when Kanto's army attacked Lumiose? Did they experience the same feelings of fear and loss? Of uncertainty and helplessness? In his heart he knew the answer was yes. There was no doubt in his mind that these people who he had discovered to share much in common with, would have felt the same way when their homes were being destroyed and if this is how his country was making other's feel then he was unsure of how much longer he could go on with supporting their actions.

 _Nothing make's sense anymore. I shouldn't feel sorry for these people, after all they started this whole thing… but then why can I not help but feel guilty for their misery?_

He was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even notice Serena taking a seat next to him. It was only when she cleared her throat that he was brought back to reality once again.

'Ash, are you sure you're alright? I'm no expert on health but I'm pretty sure that your face isn't supposed to be that green' she stated, commenting on Ash's face which by now was an undignifying shade of puce. Ash shook his head a bit to clear his mind and hopefully return to at _least_ looking like someone who wasn't saddened by what everyone else considered to be a happy occasion.

Luckily for him, it worked and his face returned to its normal colour.

'There, that's better' said Serena comfortingly. 'Just think Ash, if Kanto continues to be bombed, this war may soon be at an end and we can all go back to living peacefully again' she said optimistically, imagining a world where Kalos was free once more.

'And once Kanto is defeated you can go home with your family!' she said happily, expecting Ash to be emboldened by the thought of returning 'home'.

'Yeah, absolutely… home' laughed Ash in a lacklustre manner. Serena gave Ash a sympathetic look and tentatively placed her hand on his in an attempt to comfort her new friend. All this did however was cause both parties to blush, forcing them to turn away from each other, each hoping that the other hadn't seen their embarrassing reaction to what should have been an innocent gesture.

Luckily the sound of Grace clearing her throat in front of them allowed them to avoid the awkward conversation that was sure to follow their little 'moment'. Grace stood in front of the embarrassed couple, giving them a highly suggestive stare.

'So sorry to interrupt this lovely scene but I thought you two would like to know that Clemont has managed to adjust our radio so it can… well I didn't really understand what he said to be honest, something about airwaves and frequencies but he's says it will help us so you two should just go and check it out while I start on dinner' she explained before traversing to the kitchen.

'So…' began Ash, scratching his head nervously

'So…' added Serena, her face still a light shade of pink.

'I guess we should go and see what this radio stuff is all about' said Ash attempting to calm his rapidly beating heart. Serena gulped nervously and managed a quick nod. They marched in silence to the living room where they could hear Clemont and Bonnie. Once there, they could see Clemont seated on the floor, a number of metallic instruments and other items surrounding him. In his hands was the radio which had all but been taken apart and was now being rapidly reconstructed by Clemont according to his new design plan. Next to him sat Bonnie, who along with Dedenne and Pikachu, were playing with the discarded tools and spare parts of the radio that Clemont had not bothered to use.

'Behold, the future is now thanks to science!' he yelled triumphantly. He held the completed radio in his hands, showing it off to his friends.

'It still looks like a normal radio to me' said Ash scratching his head in confusion at the sight of the radio which indeed looked unchanged from the original. Clemont turned to him with a wide grin on his face.

'Ah, I was expecting you to overlook my sheer genius' he said in a rather smug manner, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. Bonnie rolled her eyes reproachfully

'Hey Clemont, how about instead of acting like a big know it all, you actually explain to all of us what this thing does!'

Clemont sweatdropped causing Ash and Serena to laugh.

'Of course, every great scientist must explain his creation, if I may draw you attention to the back ladies and gentlemen' he said showing the back of the radio to the others.

Everyone looked closely at the radio, only to notice a small flashing electrical devise

'What is that?' asked Serena.

'Good question Serena, allow me to explain' said Clemont grandly. For the second time that day, Bonnie was forced to role her eyes at her brother's antics.

 _This ought to be good,_ she thought.

'Ahem, behold my friends, the device that will allow us to communicate with the outside world!' proclaimed Clemont. He looked around at his friends expecting to see expressions of joy and delight on their faces. Instead he was faced with three, no five counting Pikachu and Dedenne, extremely lacklustre expressions.

'Yeah… I still don't see how that little device is going to help us. Sorry Clemont' said Ash nervously.

'I agree with Ash, it just looks like a tiny button to me. What good could that do?' added Serena.

Clemont almost face – palmed himself for being so ignorant. Of course they didn't get it, he hadn't even shown them how it worked yet.

'If I may have your attention once more ladies and gentlemen!' he declared after a moment or two. He turned back to his friends holding another small device in his hand that looked more like a remote than anything else, complete with an antenna sticking out of the top.

'With this remote, we will be able to tune in to the Kalos Resistance Movement's channel and learn about what is happening across the rest of the country. Now hopefully, they would understand.

Serena and Bonnie squealed with happiness, maybe now they would get a clear picture of what was happening in the rest of occupied Kalos. Ash on the other hand remained still and silent. This is what he was sent here to do: Investigate and crush the local insurgents. But now he was facing a moral dilemma. He didn't want to betray his friends… but he also had a duty to his family and his country.

 _What should I do?_

'Ash why aren't you celebrating? This is good – no great news!' exclaimed Clemont dancing with the others.

'Sorry Clemont, I guess my mind was elsewhere' responded Ash quickly. The last thing he needed right now was for his friends to become suspicious of him. He hastily joined the celebrating Kalosians, their collective cheering filling the room with happiness.

'What is going on in there?' called Grace from the kitchen.

'Mom, you won't believe it but Clemont found a way to listen in to the KRM's channel!' she exclaimed joyfully. Grace burst into the room faster than a bolt of lightning.

'Are you serious?' she asked with hopeful eyes.

'Indeed I am Ms Grace, with this remote I – WHOA!' cried Clemont as his explanation was cut short by Grace enveloping him in a massive usaring hug'

'Clemont you are brilliant!' she exclaimed squeezing him tightly.

'Thank – you – Ms – Grace' he managed to wheeze as her grip tightened. Everyone laughed at Clemonts' unusual predicament, Ash especially.

 _It must be like being squeezed by an Arbok_ he thought bemusedly. Grace finally released Clemont just as he was turning blue. Clemont gasped for air, taking in lungful after lungful.

'Sorry Clemont' said Grace apologetically.

'Don't… phew… worry about it' replied Clemont who had recovered his breath. Maybe Bonnie was right about getting in shape, living with the Yvonne's really tired you out so it was probably better to be fit enough to deal with such 'hazards' like Grace's usaring hugs then not.

'Hurry big brother, turn on the radio already, I want to know what's happened to dad' said Bonnie quietly, tugging Clemonts' arm. Clemont gave her a sympathetic look and nodded. Ash felt another pang of guilt punch him in the stomach.

 _So their father is missing… is this my fault too?_

'Alright guys, listen closely to radio and tell me when I get the right frequency' he stated beginning to slowly turn the dial on his remote. Everyone leaned in closer, straining their ears to hear the welcome sound of others who like them wished to liberate Kalos. At first there was only the sound of static in the background.

'Anything yet?' asked Clemont continuing to twist the dial.

'Nothing yet. Keep trying Clemont' answered Ash quietly. Clemont continued to twist the dial further, tuning in to many frequencies, all of them dead. He tuned into the popular Lumiose City Press Radio Channel, where local and national news was broadcasted daily. Unfortunately that station was dead as well.

'Wait, stop Clemont I hear something!' squealed Bonnie excitedly. Clemont almost dropped the remote in surprise. Everyone leaned in even closer to confirm Bonnie's statement and were overcome with joy when a low voice could be heard on the other side of the radio.

'Turn the volume up Clemont' said Serena quickly. Clemont fumbled with the remote a bit before turning up the volume to such an extent that they could hear the speaker clearly but not so much that the guards outside would become suspicious.

'… and that concludes our status report on the number of Kantonian troops in Kalos' said a serious voice.

'So this is the Resistance movement' whispered Ash who found himself once again contemplating his mission to destroy this very organisation.

'And in further news, reports from our spies in Kanto have confirmed that Kantonian dictator Giovanni has finalised his plans for the invasion of Hoenn. The timing of the invasion remains unknown but the leader of the operation is confirmed to be the Titan of Fire himself, General Red'

Ash reeled in surprise at the news. He had no idea that his father had actually managed to plan an invasion of Hoenn. The news that Red was to be leading the campaign was no surprise however. Kanto would need its best generals to breach the impregnable island fortress that was Hoenn.

'Hey isn't that the nice man with the Charizard we met in Lumiose?' Bonnie asked Clemont.

'Yeah I think it was' answered Clemont remembering the kind General with the gleaming medal.

'You met him in Lumiose?' asked Ash, surprised that his older brother had bothered to go the Lumiose when the battle was already over.

'Yes, he was very nice and I loved his cute Charizard' said Bonnie fondly. Ash smiled. That was so Red, always the typical nice guy. 'Yeah he was actually alright for a Kantonian, I mean he was much better than that other guy' added Clemont. Ash narrowed his eyes, he thought he had an idea of who this 'other guy' was.

'What other guy?' he asked cautiously.

'Some red haired guy with a cape. Rides on a Dragonite' explained Clemont; the memory of the capered General's assault on Lumiose still haunted him. 'That's Dragonite's power was just… devastatingly powerful. I can't even describe the kind of damage that thing did' whispered Clemont. In his voice one could detect a mix of fear and awe for the sheer destructive power of the duo.

 _He must be talking about Lance,_ thought Ash to himself. He had always admired Lance for his style in battle. He wasn't one to needlessly destroy things so surely it couldn't be him that had done so much damage to Lumiose… right?

'I think you might be confused Clemont. It must have been somebody else' said Ash hoping with all his might that Clemont was indeed confused and it was in fact somebody else.

'I'm sorry Ash, but I really couldn't forget someone like that and now I remember his name too: Lance' said Clemont sounding out the name with extreme distaste. Everyone recollected the memory of red haired General on the television giving his victory speech. The unpleasant smugness in his voice still rang in their minds and caused a desire for vengeance to burn in their hearts.

Ash was extremely disappointed. He was thought to believe that Kantonian soldiers had more honour than that. Apparently he was wrong, even the best could be corrupted so it seemed.

'Shhh!' exclaimed Bonnie. Everyone looked over at the little girl who was still listening intently to the radio.

'Reconnaissance missions around Terminus Cave have confirmed that the Kantonian presence in the area is deliberate. They are searching for something but we are not sure what as of yet. Further investigation will be carried out to determine this…'

'I wonder what they're looking for' whispered Serena.

'I don't know but I don't like it. I've strange things about that cave. Whatever they're looking for, I'm certain it can't be good' added Grace sounding very concerned about the secretive activity of the occupying forces.

'And on a final note, we are calling once more for new recruits to join us in the liberation of Kalos. Our next gathering will be held in Santalune Forest tomorrow'

There was a pause before the voice continued.

'I am but a humble civilian but I call on the best Kalosians to uphold our ideals of honour and common sense to bring forth our hour of deliverance. That is the hour our enemy will finally realize the futility of their cause and I call upon all Kalosians who want to remain free to listen to my voice and follow me'

'Long live free Kalos in honour and independence!' thundered the voice before the radio went silent.

'Tomorrow' whispered Serena to herself more than anyone. Her eyes were glazed over in deep thought. She knew her mission. She had to get to Santalune Forest by tomorrow… and she knew just the man that could help her.

'Nothing about dad' commented Bonnie, her head dropped in sadness. Clemont went over to comfort her.

'I'm sure he's alright, our dad's a tough guy' said Clemont reassuringly. Everyone nodded in agreement.

A few hours later and the town had gone dark save for the few streetlights still casting their glow through the darkness. In the Yvonne household everyone slept peacefully. Everyone that is except for Serena who was more awake than ever. Around her lay items she thought she would need for the journey ahead; some clothes, a compass, her map and an assortment of other novelties she thought would be useful'. After packing she wrote a letter to her mother to tell her not to worry and that she would be back soon Arceus willing. She sighed deeply when signing the letter for she knew how worried her mother would be but she also knew she would understand that this was something Serena had to do for everyone's sake.

She carefully made her way down the hall to where Ash shared his room with Clemont and Bonnie, taking extra care not to wake her mother up. She slipped past the door and found the bed where Ash was snoozing comfortably.

'Ash wake up' she whispered shaking him slightly. Ash's eyes fumbled open and he found a serious looking Serena overlooking him.

'Sere –'

'Shhh!' she gasped putting her hand over his mouth to stop him from being too loud. She looked back to Clemont and Bonnie who were still sleeping contently and removed her hand off Ash's mouth.

'What are you doing?' asked Ash in hushed tones.

'I'm leaving Ash. I'm going to join the KRM' she answered determinedly.

'Serena you can't leave!' began Ash. 'It's too dangerous, think of what your mother would say' he added trying to reason with her although he felt like she had already made her mind up.

'I'm doing this _for_ my mother Ash, for her and for all of us. I'm doing this to free Kalos and end this war. Don't you want to see your family again Ash?' she explained, worrying that her window of opportunity was closing. Ash knew he had really stepped in it now. There was no way he could give anything other than a positive response or else she would become suspicious.

'Of course I want that but I also don't want you to get hurt' he said before he could stop himself. They both froze for a moment and Ash could have sworn that even in the pale moonlight he could see a tint of pink on Serena's face.

'That's very… sweet of you Ash but I know what I have to do' she said quietly. Ash understood that there was no way he was going to talk her out of this.

'Alright Serena, but then why did you come to me?' he asked unsure of what part he played in her plan.

'I want you to come with me' she said suddenly, a little afraid that he might say no. Ash looked at her with a surprised expression.

'You want me to come with you? But why?'

'Well I thought you would want to help considering everyone you've been through and all. And besides we could… look out for each other you know' she said, feeling the heat return to her face. Ash smiled warmly.

'Of course I'll go with you Serena' he answered kindly. Serena beamed. 'You will? Thank you so much Ash. I know we will make a great team' she whispered excitedly, almost jumping up in excitement.

'I'll bet. Now what about Clemont and Bonnie, I think they'd want to help as well' said Ash motioning to the two sleeping blonds across the room.

'I'm sorry Ash but no. Clemont I would take but bringing Bonnie would be too dangerous. She's too young and it would be irresponsible of me to put her in harm's way'

Serena looked at over the little girl, curled up with Dedenne and Pikachu. Dedennes' tail tickled her nose slightly making her giggle in her sleep.

'She's such a sweet girl, I'm not putting her at risk' said Serena turning back to Ash. Ash nodded understandingly. She was right, he wanted as many people out of harm's way as possible, especially his new friends.

Ash was ready to go in less than five minutes without needing to pack anything because he came with nothing save for a small tracking beacon he was supposed to turn on in case of emergency but this he hid from Serena. He didn't want her asking awkward questions. Then with the stealth of a weavile the pair made their exit through a window in Serena's room to avoid the guards stationed at the front door. They both turned back one last time to look at the house. For Serena this was for her family and country. She knew her mother wouldn't blame her and she had already left the letter next to her mother's bedside table. For Ash this was an opportunity to do what he was sent here to do: Gather information on the KRM but also to look out for Serena.

'Bye mom' whispered Serena staring at her mother's window where in few short hours she would discover her precious daughter absent. She turned to Ash and nodded and the pair slipped away into the darkness towards Santalune Forest.

 ** _In Sinnoh_**

'Wait up!' cried Tracy who was sweating profusely from his forehead, a product of the long trek they had undertaken to reach Canalave City.

'Come on Tracy, you need to get in shape' laughed Gary from the top of the hill. Gary sat down on the cool grass to take a short break, a gentle breeze blowing around him. Beneath the young Kantonian lay the sprawling coastal city of Canalave, Sinnoh's information capital. Here they were sure to find the information they were instructed to gather for here one could access the great Canalave Library, a hub of learning containing works from all over the world. If there was anything that Sinnoh could be proud of, it was this.

 _What secrets lie in that library I wonder_ , thought Gary as he waited for his worn out friend.

The sounds of heavy footsteps and panting alerted Gary to Tracy's arrival. The exhausted cartographer collapsed to the ground in a rather undignified manner, groaning in relief.

'Thank Arceus! Geez, could this place be any harder to get too?!' he groaned.

'Shake it off Tracy, what matters is that we're here now' replied Gary. Tracy lifted his head in surprise only to find the city right beneath him.

'Wow, it's beautiful. I didn't know Sinnoh was capable of producing such beautiful cities' he said in awe.

'You'd be surprised Tracy, Sinnoh does in fact have many amazing cities, some I'd say are even better than those in Kanto' he explained with the slightest trace of irritation in his voice. The fact that Tracy could even say something like that annoyed Gary to no end. He knew of course why Tracy spoke that way. He was merely a product of his education and ever since Giovanni had come to power, there was less and less appreciation for the qualities and contributions that the other nations had made, almost to the point where no in Kanto could believe that anything of value had ever been produced outside of their own country.

He on the other hand, knew better than that. His research had taken him far and wide, across the globe where he had experienced many different cultures and ways of life. He could see past the propaganda that Giovanni would continuously spew out. He always felt that Giovanni had a problem with Sinnoh in particular but could never quite put his finger on the reason as to why.

'Not everything great comes from Kanto you know' he added dryly.

'I guess so' answered Tracy who still sounded unconvinced. Gary shook his head sadly, he could see that trying to convince his friend was a futile task, years of indoctrination had done their work and done it well.

'Come on then, we still have to find that library' he said beginning to walk down the hill. Tracy thought he heard a trace of sadness and maybe even disappointment in Gary's voice but he shook it off, he must have just misheard him. He picked himself off the ground and followed Gary down the hill towards the city, humming the Kantonian national anthem while he did.

 _Kanto, Kanto over all else_

 _Over all else in the world…_

'Knock it off Tracy' warned Gary who was already irritated with his friend's unbridled nationalism as it was.

'Why, there's nothing wrong with being proud of your country. Gosh Gary, the way you talk about it, it's as if you don't even like being from Kanto' stated Tracy accusingly. He just didn't understand Gary sometimes.

'Never mind' groaned Gary in defeat. He wasn't interested in getting into another confrontation with Tracy. The victorious cartographer smiled smugly in victory and continued to hum even louder this time around.

Once they entered the city they were assaulted by a variety of different sights and smells. Gary, having been to Sinnoh before was more used to it than Tracy but even he found the city a bit overwhelming. Around them the people of Canalave bustled to and fro, unconcerned that there were two strangers in their midst.

'Alright Tracy, the library should be just across this bridge' explained Gary pointing towards a large bridged that stretched over the harbour.

'And how do you know that?' asked Tracy

'I can literally see it right there' laughed Gary pointing towards a massive building on the other side of the bridge. The building was around three stories high, constructed of grey bricks with an ocean blue roof. Above the beautifully carved entrance were the words: _Canalave Library – Understanding the Past to Improve the Future_ emblazoned in gold into the stone wall.

'Well… that was embarrassing' admitted Tracy, grinning sheepishly. Gary gave him a knowing look and smirked triumphantly.

The two Kantonians continued to cross the bridge, the cool sea breeze carrying them along effortlessly. Out on the bay were a multitude of ships, both commercial and leisurely dotting the horizon with an array of different colours to contrast with the crystalline blue of the sea. Anyone with eyes could see that it was the ocean that had shaped the people of this city and they were better off for it.

It wasn't long before they had reached the other side of the harbour as the canal they were crossing wasn't especially wide. They stood for a moment outside the library, admiring the architecture. What they had both failed to notice from the other side of the bridge however was a small statue of a pokémon that was unrecognisable to either of them.

'What kind of pokémon do think this is?' asked Tracy while he examined the golden stature. Gary squinted to read the plaque underneath the statue.

'Ux… Uxie the Knowledge Pokémon' read Gary aloud.

'Well that makes sense considering where we are' added Tracy. They both examined the statue a bit longer before Gary decided that it was time to leave the little golden pokémon and finish what they came here to do: Gather information about Sinnoh and its pokémon.

'Let's go Tracy, we still have a mission to complete' said Gary seriously. Tracy nodded in affirmation before they both entered through the blue glass doors of the library. The first thing they noticed when they entered the library was the sudden blast of chilled air that they could have sworn was produced by an ice type pokémon.

'Welcome to the Canalave Library, where we value knowledge above all else' said a cheerful voice next to them. Both of the boys recoiled in surprise at the unexpected voice. They turned to the source of the sound only to find a young bluenette smiling at them.

'Hi, my name is Dawn, it's a pleasure to welcome you to our library' she said while bowing. The boys looked at each other with strange expressions on their faces before quickly fixing their appearance to impress the young lady smiling at them expectantly. Tracy decided it would be best if he introduced them to Dawn for he knew Gary would most likely embarrass them in front of the girl.

'Allow me to introduce myself, my name is Tracy Sketchit and –'

'And I am Gary Oak, renowned pokémon expert. How yer' doing doll face?' he interjected smoothly. He delicately took Dawn's hand and bowed with over the top vigour. Dawn laughed softly at the exchange while Tracy face – palmed himself.

'Very well thank you' replied Dawn cheerfully. Gary was delighted that he had been received so well. Tracy on the other hand could hardly believe his eyes. Was she really falling for Gary's act?

'You two don't look very familiar, you must be from out of town' she concluded.

'Yep we're from… um….'

'We're from Snowpoint City' said Tracy quickly.

'Wow' exclaimed Dawn, her eyes alit with wonder. 'I've always wanted to visit Snowpoint City, I hear it's really beautiful up there'

'Well maybe I could show you around some time' said Gary giving her a highly suggestive look. Tracy rolled his eyes when Dawn reacted positively with a smile. He had been proven wrong, there were girls who could actually fall for Gary's showboating.

'Thanks, now is there something I can help you with' she offered kindly. This time Tracy interjected before Gary could 'work his magic'.

'Yes actually, we are looking for information on _our_ nation's history. Oh and a map would be nice as well' he explained.

'But didn't you guys learn all about that in school?' she asked quizzically

 _Shoot, I should have figured this would come up sooner or later_

'Well um, you see…'

'What he means is, we moved to Unova when we were very young but we came back because no matter how far we go our hearts will always come back home, here in Sinnoh' simpered Gary, putting as much emotion as he could into his little speech.

 _Well we're screwed_ thought Tracy. _There's no way she could possibly –_

'That is so sweet Gary, of course it's only natural to want to know more about your own history. Please follow me' said Dawn feeling very sympathetic towards the two strangers.

Gary strutted after her promptly, making sure to smirk at Tracy as he did.

 _Perhaps I don't give him enough credit_ thought Tracy with a smile.

A loud thud brought him back to reality as Gary who was too busy gloating, walked straight into a wooden column.

 _Never mind that then,_ he thought bemusedly striding past Gary with his nose in the air. Gary rubbed his injured head and opted to walk at the back of the group to nurse his even greater injured pride.

 ** _In Kanto_**

'Well done sir, that was an excellent speech' congratulated Lance. The sun was just beginning to set and once again, Lance found himself in Giovanni's office although this time without that nuisance Red breathing down his neck. Now was his best chance at getting what he wanted.

Giovanni turned to him with a drink, the slightest trace of a smile on his face.

'Thank you General, I did what I could' he said before taking a seat in his chair. Lance graciously accepted the drink, swirling its contents but did not take a sip. He needed to be alert and at full attention to make this work.

'Sir, there is something I wanted to discuss with you' said Lance tentatively. Giovanni nodded his approval allowing Lance to continue with his request.

'As you know sir, out invasion of Hoenn is set to take place in just a few short days and as wonderful for Kanto as this is, I have my reservations about the success of this mission… particularly concerning general Red's leadership'

Lance looked up to gauge Giovanni's response, deathly afraid that he might have crossed the line. Giovanni did not meet his gaze nor did he speak and for a painfully long time there was an undisturbed silence in the room. Lance nervously adjusted his collar giving him some breathing space.

 _He hasn't said anything, I knew this was a bad idea! I knew –_

'What are you asking of me General?' whispered Giovanni, locking Lance in his steely gaze.

It took all of Lance's willpower to speak but eventually he was able to gather his nerves and address Giovanni in what he believed to be the most respectful way possible. He knew what he was risking by asking something so impertinent of his leader but he felt it was the right thing to do for Kanto.

'With the highest amount of respect sir, I am asking you to… task me with the leadership of the Hoenn campaign rather than General Red' he said slowly, allowing every word to sink it.

Giovanni turned as still as stone, his face an emotionless void. Lance groaned inwardly in frustration. Giovanni remained an unscrupulously unreadable person, you just couldn't tell what he was thinking and it was this aspect of his character that made him such an effective albeit intimidating leader.

 _Alright Lance your number is up, you –_

'I have considered it' stated Giovanni quietly. Lance blinked his eyes in disbelief. Had he just heard what he thought he heard? Was Giovanni _agreeing_ with him?

'I'm sorry sir, could you please repeat that'

'I said, I have considered it' he stated for the second time interlocking his fingers. Lance could hardly believe what he was hearing because it just seemed so implausible.

'I must admit that I have given it some thought General Lance. Let me be clear, I know my son is a brave warrior and his capability as a leader is unmatched. This cannot be denied but…'

'But what sir?'

'I am concerned that he is too sympathetic towards our enemies' he said with a sigh. 'His failure to take Lumiose proves that much. I need someone who is not afraid to take drastic measures to secure the victory and _your_ performance at Lumiose leads me to believe that that person is you' he said, observing Lance's reaction cautiously.

The red haired General's face lit upon hearing Giovanni's praise filled remark. He was hoping that Giovanni would take notice of his outstanding performance at Lumiose and thankfully he didn't disappoint.

'I am honoured that you would consider me for this position sir' said Red bowing deeply in respect.

As far as Lance was concerned, Giovanni would make sure to take every precaution. Giving Lance too much power was not something he wished to do at all. He could see Lance's lust for power every time they're eyes locked. Giovanni was a master of reading people and the eyes were the first place he would look to judge a person's character and reflected in Lance's eyes he saw an insatiable lust for power, power that he could not possibly control. No indeed, he recognised that allocating Lance too much power would lead to disastrous consequences not just for himself but for Kanto as well.

'I warn you General, this is not a statement of affirmation by any means so do not take it as one'

Lance curtly nodded in response. He didn't care that his promotion wasn't confirmed. Just knowing that he had been considered was enough to thrill him. Finally someone had seen him as being on par with Red… or perhaps even better than him in some regard. The thought of being better than Red brought a sinister smile to his face. Winning Giovanni's favour was just the first step of a master plan that would hopefully culminate with his ascension to the most powerful man in the world. Then he would finally get the respect he deserved.

'I understand sir, I'm just happy you even considered me for this'

Giovanni could see the lust cloud Lance's eyes. Was he making the right decision? It was a risk but hopefully he could reign in Lance before things got out of hand. _Hopefully._

'Very well then, if that is all General?'

'Yes sir that is all' answered Red leaving his untouched drink on the table. Lance saluted and left the room in a much better mood than when he arrived. Things were finally beginning to look up for him.

Giovanni's eyes followed Lance as he left the room, the apprehension building. Hopefully he knew what he was doing. And if he didn't well… he didn't really want to think about that at the moment.

Persian brushed his leg, purring softly to quell the inner turmoil it sensed within its master. Giovanni chuckled and scratched his faithful pokémon behind the ear. Persian licked its master's hand appreciatively before curling up next to his leg to take a nap.

'Ah Persian, it's hard sometimes… I know you would understand. Despite you being a pokémon I feel that you understand me better than anyone' he said softly, stroking Persian's fur while it slept. On his desk sat a picture of his family before he came to power. Everything seemed so much simpler then, there were no power hungry subordinates and no wars and he had more time to spend with his wife and sons. Now these were but mere memories of a time long gone.

He tenderly picked up the framed picture and smiled warmly at what it contained. The faces of his smiling family looked back up at him but perhaps what shocked him most was his own smiling face staring at him. He couldn't even remember the last time he smiled like that now that he thought of it.

'Maybe I should pay a visit to my dear wife in Pallet' he whispered to himself. 'And Ash of course, I can't forget about my brave man Ash' he chuckled. But he knew that would all have to wait until after Hoenn was conquered.

'Until then my dears' he said solemnly placing the picture back in its place.

'Until then'

The Battle of Kalos had ended… the Battle of Hoenn had begun!

 **Thanks for all of your supportive comments guys! I really appreciate it. Wish me luck in my exams and as always reviews are always welcome. Until next time!**


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